The Meaning of Protection
by FiniteAnarchy
Summary: Sookie's decisions lead her to question what she has to do to protect herself and the people she cares about. Starts 6 months after DITF and contains several elements of DR. Vampire politics and Fae intrigue abound!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **_So this is my very first attempt at fan fiction. I've read some great stories on here and thought it about time to contribute one of my own. This will be a Sookie and Eric Story but there will be a while yet where they are separated. I have plans to work on both POV's in the future and already have an idea of where I want the characters to end up. I welcome reviews, comments, suggestions and complaints._

_All characters here belong to Charlaine Harris._

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Chapter 1

"_And that is how change happens. One gesture. One person. One moment at a time."_

_-Libba Brey,_ The Sweet Far Thing

* * *

_Today is the day,_ I told myself. There's no turning back if I do this.

Everything's been ready for the past two days and now I just have to get myself to Shreveport. It's ten minutes past eight in the morning and I'm already anxious that my cab is ten minutes late. My flight doesn't leave until half past ten but knowing my luck, the airport might just suffer a zombie invasion. So I need to be prepared. Just then, the cab starts down my driveway.

_The very expensive driveway Eric gave you. _Oh, stop it.

The thought comes back again as I watch the driver pull up in front of the house. I have to remind myself again that what I'm doing is very much _not running._ This is me protecting him in the only way I really can. _Right? _He is going to be so pissed. Pam is going to beat me to death with her favorite pumps. I only hope that they will understand why and forgive me someday when I know it will be safe to come home.

I load my own suitcase into the trunk of the cab. The driver doesn't even bother to offer to lift my suitcase and help.

_So much for southern manners_. He is so not getting a tip. I climb in with a sigh and a door slam.

"So…airport, right?" The driver confirms it as I nod my head in agreement.

"Yes, that's right," I tell him as he starts to reverse.

"You taking a vacation?" He looks at me in the rearview mirror expectantly, after a few minutes on the road. _Looks like a pretty long one with the size of that suitcase. Nobody moves with just one bag._

I look at him from the back seat as I consider what to say. I wonder if this would actually qualify as a vacation. Yes, a vacation from everything supernatural and insane. An undefined vacation from vampires, werewolves, fairies and anything else that goes bump in the night. Or day.

"Yes, I haven't really seen much of the north and what with the fall here now, I thought it would be the perfect time." Knowing Eric, he will somehow find out which cab company I used and which driver he will need to glamour information from. If my mystery novels taught me anything, laying a false trail is of the utmost importance.

_She can't be going to just one place with the size of that bag. It looked to heavy for a shopping trip._

_Not that you helped, jerk._

"Yeah, right now is about the best you can hope for before it starts to _really_ get cold. Where are you headed off too?"

The farthest place that seems reasonable from where I'm actually going. "Boston." Los Angeles, before catching my connecting flight. This guy was ridiculously more observant than I thought a cab driver had the right to be. I guess he has to be when dealing with a certain type of public.

"Oh, you'll love it there. I took my kids when they were little. They thought they stepped right into The History Channel," he snorted, cracking his first smile since I laid eyes on him. Images filled his head of his two boys running onto an old ship docked in a harbor for tourists. Ropes, masts and wood were everywhere, with one mast having its sails down. At any moment they were expecting a Jack Sparrow look-a-like to come barreling out.

I couldn't help but smile back at his thoughts. They were warm memories for him. Nothing in Bon Temps was really _old_ when you think about it. It was barely a hole in the road during the Civil War. No, anything old in Bon Temps could really only be found after sunset. Still, it would be nice to see Boston, if I were actually going there. "I've always wanted to go there and I can't wait to see the coast and the Atlantic."

We chat for a little while longer about some of the things he did in Boston, while his thoughts fill me with images of the streets and his family running around the city. _Someday, I will go to Boston, _I say to myself, with a little smile. _And not because some vampire wants me to read humans for them_, I thought. They could go fly a kite, for all I care.

The rest of the journey was spent in silence, while I thought about what I'm getting myself into by doing this. I think I've covered all my bases. No one should be able to trace me, at least not for a while.

At the end of June I acquired a new ID for myself. It took me about two weeks to realize what I needed to do and where to find the right people. It took an additional three months to do all my research, buy my tickets and prepare everything.

I hated being sneaky about everything and there were a few close calls where I thought I recognized people I knew when I'd go out looking for the right person. Thankfully, they didn't notice me. There were also times when I thought if I just told Eric what happened and what I was planning he might at least try to see things from my perspective. Ha. Not effing likely.

On days I knew that he would be at Fangtasia, I started to scout around other nightclubs in Shreveport, listening. I was listening to the thoughts of hundreds of people per night, waiting for the right person who could be my ticket to a new identity. Most nights I came home with terrible migraines. Money wouldn't be a problem for me this time since I still had what I earned in Rhodes, Claudine's money and some extra I had saved up. There was still a good chunk left from when Eric stayed here during his fugue state.

I found him at a club called Shade. His name was Daniel and he made a nice business of supplying counterfeit IDs, laundering money and having a hand in a few casinos.

I was able to ascertain from his thoughts that between his dealings with dirty politicians and the vampires that used him to keep some of their business transactions secret, he never worried about law enforcement because he had enough dirt on the higher ups to bring anyone of them down with him and enough vampire muscle to make a few people disappear quietly. I haven't even talked to him yet and I already didn't like him. _So much for giving someone the benefit of the doubt_. Then again, he is a criminal. His thoughts also told me that he was arrogant and his belief that he was above the law would someday soon get him into a lot of trouble. Also, playing to his ego would get me what I needed.

Pfff…men and their egos. Ain't that always the same.

I put on my southern manners with an added tipsy twist when I approached him. We talked briefly about the club before I went into the mentally prepared speech I had for why I needed his services, that I wasn't a cop and that I needed them done quickly and quietly. Gran would be rolling over in her grave if she could see the way I was acting and what I was doing. Not to mention if anyone saw me who knew me or Eric. I hate lying to people and hated having to give half truths about anything but I've realized that sometimes you just have to adapt to circumstances. Being surrounded by vampires for the last few years taught me that. So this is me…adapting to circumstances.

I told him I had some vampires after me. I said that one of them tried to kill me and I needed to get away from him.

When he asked me why the vampire wanted me dead, I told him it was because I wouldn't do what he wanted, that I wouldn't leave with him. All of that was true. I just left out the rest about Felipe and Victor scheming to get me away from Eric, about Victor wanting to destroy Eric and take Louisiana for his own and about using me to control him.

I told him that I heard it on good authority that he was the best in Louisiana and other vampires speak highly about him. And bless his criminally negligent heart; he agreed to make me a new Louisiana ID with a different name and address in Shreveport, a new passport with the same information, a new social security number and even new birth records.

The only reason I was prepared for the price he named was because I was able to pick it from his head right before he told me. I also gleaned from his head that it was a fair price. He didn't get where he is by having a reputation for greed. I had to pretend and tell him that I would think about but told him I would contact him the next day with my answer. I wouldn't risk calling him from my home phone, or my cell, so I asked Sam for a few minutes during my break to make a private call in his office where I accepted the amount and agreed to meet him on my day off to work out details.

I was jolted out of my memories with my arrival at in front of the terminal. This time the driver helped me with my bag. I caved and gave him his tip. He had kids, after all. Although, they were probably in college by now.

Just entering the terminal made my heart start hammering like crazy and my head start to cave. Thoughts of flight times and remembered toothbrushes, children's books and security protocol start filling my head before I can slap my shields together. There's still time to go back home. It's barely nine and I could pretend I never did any of this. No. No…Sookie Stackhouse, you are no quitter. You are a survivor and you will get yourself together.

I take my newfound confidence and march on over to my check in desk. What if they recognize my ID is a fake? They'll call security and arrest me, that's what. What if they notice my wig?

Don't be nervous, Sookie. _Do not act nervous._ I take a deep breath and step up to desk with a big smile. "Good morning ma'am. How are you today?" Excited, yes. Nervous, no.

She smiles back at me. _She is way too happy this early in the morning. Fifteen minutes until I can get some caffeine in me._ "Good morning, I'm doing well. And yourself?" She extends her hand for my itinerary.

Giving her my new ID and flight information, I continue to smile, "I'm doing great. I'm a bit of nervous flyer though. I've never flown this far. I could also really use some coffee to give me a jumpstart before I just fall asleep right here at your counter." _Stop talking, Sookie_. I take that as my moment to lift my suitcase on to the scale.

_One way. Not too many people going one way from here with so little luggage._ The attendant smiled at me. "Not to worry. Statistically, flying is one of safest modes of transportation. Safer than driving, any day,"she states, smoothly. _Honestly, when will people realize that driving is ten times riskier than flying?_

She tickets my luggage for Los Angeles while my heart starts pounding again. My hands are a little shaky, so I try to keep them out of sight from the check it girl. "Yes, I remember reading that somewhere. Still, it makes me nervous." At least if I can pass my nerves as a fear of flying that will make things easier.

She smiled slightly again. "Is Los Angeles you final destination?" Her concentration was focused on filling in the information on her screen. She needed to know whether I would be continuing, so they could track me in their system if there's a problem.

Since my other flight is with a different airline, I figure that would require different information through a different company. They wouldn't share that kind of information on passengers unless it was requested. At least, I hope not.

"Yes." _For approximately six hours._ Enough time to claim my suitcase, head toward the airline for my next departure, eat and wait to board the plane. Since, all my previous flight experiences had been on Anubis and what I guessed was not the normal airline treatment; I had no idea what to expect this time on a regular flight. I booked an economy seat in my effort to conserve funds since it was only a few hours to L.A. and an upgraded seat for my longer flight.

Finally, after being handed my ticket and walking away with only my purse and carryon left, my nerves began to slow. Security wasn't nearly as bad as the stories I've heard and doing everything the guard wanted, I was through line in just a few minutes.

It was nearing ten now and I was able to find my gate without much difficulty. Waiting to board though started my heart racing while I looked around at every face that passed wondering if someone knew what I was up to. _Claude! Crap, I knew I forgot something._ Dialing his number, I was elated to get his voicemail. I was almost positive I would since it was still early enough that he'd be sleeping off last night.

"Hi Claude, its Sookie. I'm sorry to call so early but I wanted to ask you if you could stop by Bon Temps tonight instead of Monroe. I left something for you and Dermot in the kitchen. It's important that you get it either today or tonight. I won't be there when you get to the house so you won't have to expect me. Also…Eric might also show up at some point during the night. Probably early, knowing him. So you should…be prepared…for that.

"Anyway, that's about it. I'll talk to you soon…be safe."

It wasn't until the plane had taken off that I felt myself relax and drift off to sleep. There was plenty of mind chatter on the plane but it was mostly of the mundane business sort. In my sleep deprived state it took me longer to block it out but eventually I drifted off. I managed to get about two hours of rest last night before my nerves got the better of me. I spent the rest of the night going over everything in my suitcase, making sure every document was in my purse and my letters were placed for Claude, Dermot and Eric. I had made sure that for the past few nights, Claude and Dermot would stay in Monroe. I arranged for some time off with Sam, even though he wasn't pleased about it. In a few days I'll have to call him and let him know I won't be coming back for a while and if he could tell Jason. As much as I love my brother, he wouldn't understand why Eric's protection of me just isn't enough.

As much as I wanted to believe Eric would always be able to protect me it took what Pam said for me to realize that there was no simple way out of danger between the three of us. And from what Pam said, Eric wasn't thinking as clearly as he used to since I came into the picture. My Viking needed his head squarely on his shoulders, in more ways than one, if he was going to go after Victor…and maybe Felipe.

I woke just as we began our decent into Los Angels. I needed to make my way to bathroom and make sure my wig still looked like my real hair. It was real hair, dark chestnut in color and went about two inches below my shoulders. I had used it when I took the photo for my new ID. When I landed, I planned to find a salon to cut and style my hair so that it looked similar to the one in the photo.

After landing and getting my suitcase, I made my way to check in with my next flight and went through security again. Even though I had made it through the first flight without problems, I was still on edge because this time I would have to show my fake passport. There were no suspicious thoughts from the man behind the check in counter, thank god, and I shouted a thank you in my head to Daniel for being as good as he claimed to be.

It was a little after four-thirty in the afternoon Louisiana time when I found myself a little café to get a coffee and a sandwich. I cannot believe how gargantuan this airport is. All of the Shreveport airport could fit inside LAX, planes included and there would still be room for more.

I had a text from Claude waiting when I turned my phone back on. _Dermot and I will be there around 5 and we will leave before the vampire arrives. _

_Crap! That's in half an hour. I can't answer my phone now. I watched too much CSI to know someone can figure out where you are from your phone's location. _I decided, best to keep it on silent for now. Well at least I don't have to worry about Eric going berserker on them when he finds out.

As if my luck couldn't get any better, I spotted a hair salon while I was moving through the duty free shops. Leave it to L.A. to have a hair salon in an airport. _Perfect!_ Now I won't have to wear that damn wig the whole flight.

Stepping into a bathroom, I pull out the pins in my hair and throw the wig into my carry on. I run my brush through my hair before twisting it up and under one of Jason's old baseball caps.

_No one needs to see a brunette walk out as a blonde, only to walk out of a salon a brunette again._

In the salon, I tell the girl how I want my hair trimmed and colored and she frowns at me while I catch her thoughts.

_Beautiful blonde hair and she wants to go dark? Does she even know how many people would kill for hair like hers? What is she thinking?_ "Are you sure you want to go that dark?" _California practically worships blondes._ "It'll be months before it starts going back to its natural color." She looked concerned for me. As if I was making an impromptu (another word-of-the-day) decision.

"I'm positive. I need a change." I don't want to color my hair. And I know how many people would kill for it.

"Alright, follow me," she sighed. _At least I can give her some nice definition and some layers. Highlight in the color would be perfect. _

I couldn't help but smile. At least her thoughts were enthusiastic.

By the time my new look was finished I was mentally preparing myself to look not like Sookie Stackhouse. I needed to look like the woman in my new photo. I needed to look like Sabrina Summers. At least Tara would have found my choice of last names funny.

After I left, I found a lounge to wait in until it was time to board. I grabbed one of the books I'd stowed in my carry on and began reading. Since I couldn't bring library books with me, I bought this one. It was on the staff recommendation shelf in the Shreveport Barnes & Nobel entitled _Blood Hollow _by William Krueger.

I didn't realize how long I was reading until my purse started to vibrate on my lap. Sunset had come in Louisiana and I hadn't realized it.

I couldn't help my hands starting to shake and dampen. My heart started to hammer again as I reached for the phone in my purse. I knew who it would be of course, before I even looked at the caller ID.

"Eric."

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**A/N: And there you go! Chapter 1 of my first fan fic. There is a lot to come in the future. **

**Will Sookie answer Eric's call? **

**Where is she really going and why?**

**What's waiting for her at the other end of her plane ride?**

**Mystery! Vampires! Fairies! Oh My!**

**Please remember to review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: ****I want to thank everyone who faved and reviewed my very first chapter to my very first fan fiction. I opened my inbox to 30+ alerts/favs/reviews and was stunned at the reaction to one chapter. Thank you all and I hope you enjoy this chapter just as much.**

**Chapter 4 will bring us an Eric POV, so stay tuned…**

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Eric's calling me. How could I have missed sunset? Glancing at my watch, still on Louisiana time, I realized it wasn't sunset there yet. There was still another good fifteen or twenty minutes of light left. Right, Eric's always been an early riser.

"Ha," I practically snorted at the double entendre.

Bracing myself, I know I shouldn't answer it. But I can't help staring at it while it moves in my hand telling me I should answer the phone when someone calls. I want to answer it. I close my eyes, feeling him through our bond as I do so. His mind is fully alert now and not the gentle hum I get from him when he's in his daytime sleep. And I can feel his state of mind. He's…worried.

Well, crap.

If I could feel his emotions at this distance, he most definitely should be able to feel mine. Even though my nerves are practically shot right now, he should at least know I'm not in any danger.

I know he can track me through our bond but I had no idea how far the connection stretched over distance. I needed him to know I was safe but not be able to find me at the same time. If I answer, I know he would be able to figure out I at least stopped in California. But even if he did know, could he just up at leave Shreveport with all his Sheriff duties to worry about? I know he can't tell Felipe that I'd just up and left. It would undermine his ability as Sheriff to not be in control of "his human." Also, Felipe would probably send out about a million people find me and then I'd really have a problem.

Plus, there's still Victor to worry about. If he knew I was gone, he might use that as ammunition against Eric too, since I'm technically an "asset" to the kingdom. Fucking vampires.

My phone stopped vibrating. Glancing down, I realized I was gripping it so tightly, my knuckles were white. It beeped to tell me I had a new message. Then it started ringing again.

"Shit." Maybe I should just answer it. Oh… a text might work. Would a text work the same way as phone call does? Ugg… I have no fucking idea.

I cave.

_Please don't worry. I'm going somewhere safe. Can't tell you where. Go to my house in Bon Temps. Turning off my phone now. I love you._

I hope that's enough. I notice a missed call from Claude before switching off my phone. He's probably read my letter. Nothing to do about that now.

I can feel Eric in the back of my mind. "Pissed," would be an understatement.

xxxxxx

I couldn't sleep on the plane. I'm in one of those seats that recline fully back into a little bed. It's amazingly comfortable for an airplane seat, with a down pillow and big fluffy blanket. And all I can do is stare at the partition separating me from the other passengers and feel the tendrils of the bond between Eric and myself being stretched to the snapping point in my mind. It felt like a lifeline being cut; one of those thick braided ropes you would find on a construction site or on a ship. When it snaps the edges become all frayed and unbraided. I thought I might just have an aneurysm. For the last three hours my head has done nothing but throb in pain. Finally, it just went numb from it all. I think my mind went into shock just to protect itself from feeling it anymore and numbed everything out. Eventually, everything just faded out.

"_Can I take it off yet?"_

"_Not yet, lover," he whispered in my ear, as I gasped, sending shivers out from my center, up my spine and down to my toes. _

"_Eyes on the rode buddy. It better not be anything crazy, Eric. You've done too much already." _

"_Sookie," he warned, "trust me." _

"_But you won't even tell me where we're going!" I was grasping at straws and completely exasperated. _

"_Honestly, I can't believe you haven't figured it out yet. You did…consent …to update," he sighed. As if those were not good enough words to describe what he'd done. _

"_My house?" We're going to Bon Temps? He'd finished with my house? "I only 'consented' under duress. You were practically tormenting me with your tongue. I would have consented to anything," I said, glaring at him, not that he could see it. I swear I heard him smiling. Smug bastard. _

"_If we're going to Bon Temps, I don't get why I need a blindfold on," I stated, moving to take it off. _

_Before my brain registered what was going on, both my wrists were encircled in one of his enormous hands. "Sookie. I want you to be surprised. Don't touch it," he growled. _

"_You can't drive with just one hand the rest of the way," I stated, grinning. "How will you shift?"_

"_Lover, you of all people, shouldn't be surprised at all the things I can do with just one hand." Had anyone else said that, I would have rolled my eyes and ignored it but just the way he said it, half way between being full of arrogance and lust, made me tingle everywhere. And of course, he knew it. "As you can clearly see…or feel, for yourself."_

_Goddamnit. I leaned my head back in defeat. "Fine," I huffed. "You win. You can let go now. I won't take it off." _

"_Excellent. Either way, however, we will be there in a few minutes." _

_He guided me out of the car, holding on to my upper arm so I wouldn't trip. If he parked in the back like I suspected when I heard the gravel, I would bet money that we were walking to the front of the house. _

_He stopped and turned me. Encircling my waist from behind me, he leaned down to kiss that sweet spot just under my earlobe. Softly, he trailed chaste kisses up and down my neck and shoulders on both sides, his tongue darting out at unpredictable intervals to play with my earlobes when he reached them. I groaned, unable to stymie the reactions he brought out in me. I could feel his fanged smile at the point my neck and shoulders meet. _

"_Are you ready," he whispered. _

_It took me a minute to realize he was back to talking about the house. I shifted my focus back to why we were here. "Are you kidding? I've been ready to see what you've been up to out here for the past two weeks!"_

"_Maybe I shouldn't have had the contractors work so quickly to finish…"_

"_Eric!" I turned, aiming to playfully slap him on the arm. I missed completely, got nothing but air and nearly trip as I loose my balance. _

_Eric roared with laughter as he caught me and spun me around, ripping off the blindfold in the process. _

_I gasped. "It's beautiful." The words barely registered as leaving my lips. If my mouth gaped any more, a train could pass through it. Flies had found a new home. _

_It was like the fire never happened. The porch was in one piece again. There was a new porch swing and two new, resin wicker chairs on the other side of the door. The whole exterior was painted white with a navy finish painted onto the exterior surrounding all the windows. There were new double hung windows, bigger than the old ones, with custom grill patterns, giving the edges of the windows a near stained glass effect, without the stained glass. _

"_I know you were adamant about keeping a tin roof, that hasn't changed," he paused, "although it has been reinforced and replaced with a higher quality tin. Both your front and kitchen doors have reinforced steel centers with wood overlays. The wood surrounding the frames has also been reinforced. There are peepholes in both doors and two deadbolts on each. The windows have been laminated to prevent further break-ins. Someone could throw a cinderblock at these windows and they won't break."_

"_Eric, it's too much," I protested. I couldn't even imagine the fortune he'd spent to do all this. I know the insurance would have covered all the basic repairs. That's what I had paid the contractors to do. It covered the cost of replacing the furniture and building the porch back up but - the way it had been painted, the extra reinforcements - that was all Eric. _

"_No, Sookie. You are my wife. You will have the necessary safeguards in place," he said turning me around to face him. "Consider the fact that I will also be protecting myself when I stay here. We were both lucky that your cousin was in the house that morning. Otherwise, I would have met my final death and you would have been taken."_

_It's true. I didn't want anything other projectiles flying through my windows. And Lord knows my door has been replaced enough times. Son of a bitch. I didn't want to risk either of us again like that. _

_I looked up into Eric's eyes, nodding my acquiescence. He smiled and pulled me close to him. _

"_Good. Now, all the rooms have been charmed to contain a fire should one erupt. The spell will contain the fire within the room so it shouldn't spread and you would have enough time to either put the fire out or safely exit. The door to your bedroom has a few additional features for my safety. __It has been reinforced similarly to your front doors and is fire retardant. There is also a hidden keypad if I rest with you during the day." _

_I raised my eyebrows into his chest. "That's completely insane."_

_He continued as if he hadn't heard me. "The windows is your room and the guest bedroom have also been installed with sliding blackout shutters that will roll down from inside the wall, over the window."_

_I just looked at him, quirking an eyebrow. "Anything else?"_

_A smirk crawled slowly across his face. "Oh, yes. But the rest, you will have to see from inside the house." He made no actual move toward the house but continued to look into my eyes and hold my waist to him. _

_I cracked a smile. "Okay," and made a bee-line for the house. He let me get my hand on the screen door before he pulled me so that my back was to his chest again and covered my eyes with his hands. "This again," I huff, attempting to pull his hand away with no luck. _

"_Wait," he whispered into my neck. He moved his hand from my waist and I heard him as he unlocked the door. Interlocking his long fingers with mine and placing his other hand at the small of my back, we moved forward into the house together. _

"_Now you can see," he murmured, and lifted his hand. _

"_OH MY GOD," I screamed. Victor Madden was standing in my living room. I spun around. Eric was gone. "Eric?" _

"_He's not here," Victory growled, practically in my ear. _

_I spun back to face Victor. He was still in the same spot. My heart was pounding in my ears and I was rooted to the spot. I wanted to move. I wanted to run. I wanted to scream. I wanted to defend myself. I wanted Victor Madden wrapped in silver and me with a stake in my hand. But I couldn't move. I couldn't scream. I couldn't so much as make a sound. _

Move. Move. Move, I thought. Why can't I move?

_He moved closer to me, slowly. Each arrogant move he made in languid strides until his face was inches from mine. _

_I still couldn't move. I couldn't even whisper a cry. _

"_Did you really think this would stop me? You think your Viking can protect you? You think I don't know every move he makes?" He gripped the hair at the base of my neck and pulled my face to within an inch of his. "No one here can protect you."_

_To prove his point, he pulled the hair he was holding sharply to the side, exposing my neck. I heard the loud click of his fangs in the empty room. I thought I would pee my pants, my heart was pounding so fast. _

My eyes flew open to the grey color of the partition around my seat. My heart was pounding in my chest and I couldn't move a muscle. It took my brain a full minute to realize I was awake and another to realize my muscles were still paralyzed from my dream state. Slowly, my muscles relaxed themselves and I sat up. My shirt color was covered in sweat and I was shaking.

"Excuse me, ma'am," the flight attendant said, from the other side of my partition.

"Yes?" I could hear my voice crack slightly.

"We will be landing in Sydney approximately thirty minutes, so I have to ask you to please move your seat into its upright position and stow away and items you may have taken out."

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**A/N: So, who was expecting Sydney? **

**Don't forget to review. **


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: ****I'd just like to address a couple of quick points that I'm not sure I adequately described. I hope I did enough justice to Sookie's sleep paralysis in the previous chapter to make it believable. I've experienced sleep paralysis twice, and it is truly terrifying when you wake up and realize that you physically cannot move until your brain and body catch up to one another.**

**Lastly, I would like to thank everything that left me comments, reviews and their opinions and their general feelings on my first two chapters. You guys are great. Please, keep it coming. Thanks also to everyone who put my story on alert or faved it.**

**And of course, these characters belong to Charlaine Harris.**

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Chapter 3

_"You're always you, and that don't change, and you're always changing, and there's nothing you can do about it."_

_- Neil Gaiman_, The Graveyard Book

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It's been three weeks since I landed in Sydney. Before arriving, I contacted the Australian embassy, setting things in motion to get a visa to enter the country. Daniel was really helpful there. We were able to use my new identification to complete the information for what's called a "work and holiday visa." Apparently, that means I can live and work there for up to twelve months, with time off for traveling if I want to.

Since Daniel was getting new everything in the way of ID, I didn't have to worry about sending in papers with a different name. Daniel even helped me to write a resume for any future jobs I might find down there. I had to explain about some of things I did with the Louisiana and Texas vampires but left it vague enough without any names or specific situations. I just hoped that none of the vampires he knew, knew me. Or at least, that none of the vampires shared information about the same circumstances with him and dropped my name.

When I told him I had never written a resume before he didn't look even remotely surprised. I caught his thoughts about it and it seemed like he understood why. Working with vampires, it seems, isn't always good resume material. Then again, neither is being a waitress for five years in backwater Louisiana. I bristled at that train of thought before I blocked him out. Gran used to warn me all the time, _"If you eavesdrop, you probably won't like what you hear."_

So now I'm here. I got my visa all set up and ten days ago I landed myself a job at hotel right by Bondi Beach (one that had very few vampire guests, if any). It's supposed to be one of the most famous beaches in Sydney. It's full of all kinds of people. In fact, I don't think I've ever seen so much diversity in one area. Even though many of the residents came from European descent, I found lots of people around the city were a mixed group of Asian origin and Middle-eastern. I thought that living in a city would make me go crazy from everyone's thoughts going all the time. But actually, when I stayed in the areas that were touristier, where the people were more likely to speak (or think) in other languages, I found it much easier to block. I could hear it clearly – but it was much easier to not pay attention to it. What was really interesting though, was hearing how people connected the languages in their head through their own associations to words. How they remembered different things and connected them to English when they had to communicate to someone (like me).

It felt wrong, looking for a job. I really had no idea how long I would be here and didn't want to just disappear if something happened. But I also couldn't do nothing all day. Even if I was here for a reason, I needed to occupy my time with something and I needed to practice my shielding. Since my encounter with Appius and Alexi, I've picked up both Eric and Pam's thoughts three times. It freaked me the fuck out. I don't know if it was because of all the blood shared or because of my telepathy getting stronger. Neither of them had been thinking about anything significant at the time but…so not the point. I also heard Bill once before he and Judith left for Argentina on one of Bill's fact finding missions.

I knew I would need a place to stay but didn't have the slightest idea about where to look or what neighborhood to search. I wasn't sure how quickly I'd find work or where and wanted to find something that would be close to whatever job I found. I stayed in a small hotel in the city center while I looked.

Not having a car to get around was new. I never had to rely on public transportation before. The mental workout was good for me. All the people getting on and off at each station gave me a lot of practice with different mental signatures. Also…there are were-kangaroos. Go figure.

As soon as I found work at a hotel I started looking for a place to stay. I found a beautifully furnished one bedroom place right in the Bondi Beach area on O'Brein Street. When the owner walked in and stepped aside to give me a full view of the apartment, I knew immediately it was the right place. It was the fourth apartment I'd seen. Opening the front door put us directly in the living room area. It was a contrast from everything I was used to. Very modern – recently renovated, as the owner said. Everything about it was clean. It felt like the difference I needed to live here as Sabrina. She needed a personality too. And best of all, the price to rent wasn't completely ridiculous - considering that it was completely furnished.

The living and dining area were combined, like most modern apartments did today. High ceilings and white walls met together against the large windows and a patio door that comprised the wall directly across from me. The building was high enough that I had a clear view to the beach a few streets away. The floor was hardwood, with a color slightly lighter than burnt orange. A vanilla colored sofa laid against the wall on my left with cappuccino colored pillows and a matching chair at the half wall that separated the living area from the kitchen space. A small vanilla area rug matched the furniture with a glass and steel coffee table sitting above it. There was even a small stand in a metallic finish with a 20" TV. At the opposite end of the room by the large windows, sat a dining table with a metallic setting, reflecting the light from the windows. From the table or from walking out to the large patio, I had a spectacular view of the beach and the nearby buildings. It was big enough for two dark bamboo chairs with a little matching table.

The kitchen was the type of modern you would expect to come straight out of a catalogue. White cabinets with steel handles matched perfectly to the white walls and shelves. Half the wall, from above the dark countertop up to the middle of two double hung windows that stood over the sink held the loveliest backsplash pattern of small red, grey and white tiles. I couldn't believe how new everything looked. Even compared to my new kitchen back home, I had never had anything this new.

_Oh yes…no matter how long I'd be here for…I would most certainly have a comfortable place to stay._

The bedroom was simple, yet elegant. It felt again like I stepped into a catalogue but I was ready for it to be part of Sabrina's personality. She was modern. She liked clean lines and an efficient use of space. The bedroom was no exception to this. The walls were a simple white but it contrasted perfectly with the dark wood stain of the floors and the dark wood night tables on either side of the large bed. On the wall above the bed a single frame hand been hung featuring a painting of a couple intertwined on a bed. The patio stretched long enough that there was even a door connecting to the bedroom in addition to the window next to it.

_I'm going to have to invest in some serious curtains. No one's going all Peeping Tom on me here._

The bathroom was adjacent to the bedroom. It was simple and elegant, like the rest of the apartment. The top half of the walls were painted white and paired with a pale grey vanity and large sink. The floor and bottom half of the walls were decorated in tiles that matched the color scheme in the kitchen. The tiles were the same type as the ones in Eric's bathroom. The shower wasn't anything fancy; just simple white with a glass door instead of the curtain I was used to at home.

The job at the hotel I found was actually perfectly suited to me. The resume that Daniel had so carefully worded made me sound like the craftiest PR person meets negotiator meets organizer. I worked as something of a coordinator and tourist liaison. It was my job to figure out what the people in the hotel needed; what they wanted to do and to make suggestions for them. Never mind that I had only been in Sydney less than a month. I was actually surprised at how much I could use my telepathy to help find what these people needed without digging into their personal lives too much. Maybe there were other things I could besides waitressing. What really sealed the deal in the end was that the manager there, my boss, Nicki – was a Were.

Nicki was an attractive woman in her mid-thirties. Her hair was dyed a light blonde, despite her eyebrows being somewhat darker. She had the frame of an athlete and skin that had seen a lot of sun but was well taken care of. Her accent was a kicker though. I was surprised I understood anything she said. I didn't have to tell her I was telepathic, she could smell the faint trace of "other" about me – something that still bothered me.

Didn't anyone ever tell these supes that the whole smelling people thing is kinda gross?

I told her I was friends with a couple of Weres back home and that my old boss was a true Shifter. Her thoughts were a little less snarly and blue than Alcide's but still hard to read. She asked me what the Were reveal was like where I lived and she told me what it was like for her here. Her baby brother wasn't happy at all. Apparently, he was jealous that he didn't get to shift into anything since the gene only past to the first born. We talked some more about the revelation and before I new it, Nicki was asking me to start the next week.

For the first time, the humans I worked with wouldn't be calling me Crazy Sookie in their heads. Well, they wouldn't anyway. They'd call me Crazy Sabrina.

It almost felt normal. I almost felt normal.

No one had tried to kill me since I got here. No one has called me crazy…yet. I haven't met a single vampire the last three weeks. The hotel only had a few rooms dedicated to vampire needs and there weren't any checked in on the day I started working there. I still had iffy feelings going out at night though. If my shift at the hotel ran into the night hours I always stayed on the busiest and most well lit streets to get to my apartment. My shields were in their top form since the last time I had taken any vampire blood.

Speaking of vampire blood, I had a constant reminder of it every day. Louisiana and Sydney were sixteen hours apart, which put Eric and I on almost identical schedules. The bond between us was stretched taunt. I could feel it in the back of mind like a rubber band being snapped. I still felt the hum of his presence. I knew he was there, that he was alive or dead for the day. I couldn't feel his emotions though and I don't think he can feel mine, not at this distance. Everyday it got a little bit weaker though, as the time increased from the last time we shared blood. It had been months.

I wasn't prepared for what this would feel like. I wonder if he knew it would feel like this. I wonder if he feels it too. I wonder if he could find me through this distance and if all the precautions I took were even necessary.

The separation is terrible. I feel it now more than I've ever felt anything. It was like a loss that was fermenting itself right in the core of my being. The ache in my mind that woke when he did made my head throb for a few minutes each day. I wasn't angry over it. I'd actually come to terms with it, welcomed it, even. It told me he was alive – or undead, as it were. It let me know the connection between us still existed and that I hadn't done this for the wrong reasons. That alone gave me the strength to push aside those feelings of loss every day. It was making my mental barriers stronger. It gave me the strength to get out of bed and act happy when I found my job and started working and when I found my apartment. While the bond we had let me know other vampires hadn't gotten to Eric, I was still glad the connection was fading. Though I missed Eric something terrible everyday, it meant that everyday those pretty invisible chains that connected us got a tad bit weaker. I was worried that it would take years for it to fade but now it was starting to feel more like it did after the first time I took his blood.

I thought about him every day, in a special place he had in my head. I thought about what he was doing and if Pam was okay. I wondered how business was at Fangtasia and if the new bartender had been killed yet. I often thought about how much he probably hated me right now and I hoped desperately that no one else had found out I was gone. I wondered if Pam had taught Eric how to shoot a shotgun after I taught her.

Then, when I was done thinking about all my what if's and maybe's, I locked them up back into a corner in my mind and went about my day.

Distractions were good for me. Now that I had some work and apartment I could keep busy. Buy things I need for my new apartment - things like pots would be good. And maybe a blender. I can do touristy things in Sydney. If I didn't have those things, my distractions, all I'd be left to do was wait. And worry. And cry. And I was really tired of doing those things.

Now that it was the first of November I was starting to get a little worried. Claude said he had sent my letter for me but that was back in July and I never got a response. I hope it wasn't intercepted. I hope he knows I'm here waiting.

_Can a fairy find you the same way a vampire can?_

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**A/N: There's a lot of information to get out before I got to my first main plot point. So much so that writing it all has been difficult. Initially, I had planned to go on with this chapter and have it be much longer than it is. But I've delayed it a lot in my need to figure out the best way to get out a lot of information. Right now some of that information is going to be filler. Sookie going from point A to B. **

**That aside, I hope you enjoyed this mini chapter, as I wanted to get something out. **

**Next chapter will still be an Eric POV so please stay tuned. **

**Please remember to review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Many people have expressed their desire to know what was in Sookie's letter to Eric. Well that answer is finally here! Enjoy. **

**And a big thank you to everyone who has left me their comments and questions and to everyone who has added this story to their alerts or favs list. You guys are awesome and you know it!**

**All characters belong to Charlaine Harris**

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Chapter 4

_"In a perfect world, you could fuck people without giving them a piece of your heart. _

_And every glittering kiss and every shard of flesh is another shard of heart you'll never see again."_

_Neil Gaiman,_ Fragile Things

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EPOV

Something is wrong. The bond feels wrong.

_What the fuck?_

There is a strange stretchiness to it that I haven't felt before. Like she's far away. Thousands of miles far away. Fuck.

_Did someone take her? I will bathe in the blood of anyone who touched her. Pam could enjoy hanging their limbs around Fangtasia for decoration. I'll even help. _

Her emotions betrayed nothing. _What the hell is going on? _She is definitely conscious. Her mind has a different hum when she's sleeping. She's nervous though. Nervous but not frightened…_Shit. _

What the fuck has been going through her head? Why would she do this? Why did I not feel something from her before?

Calm down. Put your head back on your shoulders where it belongs. Be reasonable. She must have a reason. _And it better be a good one. _

Phone. I reached for the nearest pair of boxers and pulled them on quickly before grabbing my cell off the dresser.

Ringing…more ringing.

_Pick up the phone, Sookie_. I can feel her nervousness turn to fear now. Shit. I hear her voice suddenly and I'm talking to her before I realize it's her voicemail. I wait for her voice to finish and the beep to tell me its recording.

"Sookie, if you get this, call me immediately. I know something is wrong," I pause. "Do this please," what more can I say to her? I hang up.

My thoughts are circling at this point. She's conscious, she became frightened when I called but not before. What did I miss?

What haven't I missed?

I feel for the bond again. She's moved to agitated and conflicted. Great. I can feel the distance between us. It's stationary now. I feel my mind working toward her like a compass pointing north. Except the bond is telling me west. What has she done?

I call her again. Still nothing…and now I'm pacing.

Quickly, I move to the computer in my office. The sun has only just set and the few lingering rays of light keep the sky in dusky purple. Very few vampires like to exit their light tight spaces at such an early time out of fear but by now, the light has lost its potency.

I switch on my computer and while I'm waiting for it to boot up, a beep starts coming from my from phone. I snatch it up – text message – from Sookie. _What?_ A text?

_Please don't worry. I'm going somewhere safe. Can't tell you where. Go to my house in Bon Temps. Turning off my phone now. I love you._

One text message. Six little sentences. Twenty-six words. _That's it. _That's it?

She hasn't been taken. Okay. No bathing in blood for me then. Maybe.

'_I'm going somewhere safe. Can't tell you where._' It doesn't make sense. Does she not believe I can keep her safe? She knows I can protect her. She knows I will always keep her safe. I can protect her from anything she's worried about.

Except she never wants to tell me what she's worried about.

I barely notice as my cursing switches to my old native tongue. Relinquishing my control I end up bringing my fist down on my keyboard, snapping it half.

I curse again.

I toss the broken keyboard in the bin underneath my desk. I move to get one of my spares from the closet where I keep the spares of everything for my office since I met Sookie.

Why does she insist on not telling me when she has a problem? I have never met a more infuriating woman.

My mind starts reviewing the past several months. So many things have happened to all of us…but yet we have survived everything. Even backed into a corner with Victor watching everything I do, he has been outsmarted. A thousand years have offered me nothing if not ways to strategize. Victor and his minions can hardly say the same.

While his age may give him some advantages in our world, his incompetence in his regency will bring him down. No one is loyal enough to stay on his side for very long.

With all his foolish attempts to remove my influence in the area, the schemes to reduce my businesses and the reduction in the ranks loyal to me, he still discounts the advantages the humans have when we sleep. It makes me smile. I have Sookie to thank for that. She has shown me many times over the numerous things humans are capable of that a vampire is not. At least not during daylight hours.

Going over everything, I realize it is a lot for a human to recover from, even one who has been through all the things Sookie has. The fires at her home and Merlotte's, the wolves, Victor's bars…and then the witch, Amelia.

She blames herself for Amelia…but wouldn't tell me why. _Is that what this is about? _Would she leave because she feels guilty about her? No…she knows Victor had something to do with it. But nothing seemed to alleviate her guilt. I could feel it.

I glance again at the text. _"Go to my house in Bon Temps."_ She must have known I'd go there anyway – but telling me to go? She must have left something there for me. I will drain that fairy dry if he knew about this and said nothing.

I turn back to my computer. I keep a list there of all the trackers I know. Right now I want one in North America, preferably one who owes me a favor and will work discretely. I upload the list to my phone before leaving.

I dress quickly in dark jeans, boots and white graphic print t-shirt and am out the door in less than a minute on my way to Bon Temps.

I land in her front yard about fifteen minutes later. There is a faint scent there of lingering motor oil and a faint trace of cigarette smoke. Whoever was here did not get out of his car. An unfamiliar car…with a male driver. The sour masculine scent has almost completely faded with the breeze.

I speed dial Pam.

"Master, is everything alright? I sensed your anger when I woke."

"Sookie has left," I told her, walking up the front steps. "Contact every taxi company in area, find out if any one drove to or from Bon Temps this morning and if so, to what destination."

"Understood. We will find her, Eric." Now is not the time to get into taunting match with Pam.

I hang up and unlock her front door with the key she gave me. Immediately, I'm hit with the smell of the fairies. Her fairy relatives were here recently; the smell is strong, two hours old at most.

Strange…they haven't been here in over a week and they show up_ today?_

The house feels empty without her. The sounds of the creaking wood beneath me are louder, the space around me, quieter. Her smell, mixed with the fairies is making me struggle. I want to demolish anything where her sent mixed with the fairies. It takes all my years of self control to contain myself in this space.

Get a grip, Northman. You're here for a reason. Find out why.

I make my way to the kitchen, following the freshest scent. Nothing there. The fairies lingered here though, their scent concentrated by the kitchen table. Glancing around, nothing is out of place; everything has been turned off or unplugged. Did the fairies know to be here? Did they take whatever she meant for me to see? If they did, they'll still be getting a visit from me.

I back out of the kitchen and move to the living room. Scanning everything in sight, again, nothing seems out of place. She had evidently cleaned right before she left.

The only other room that makes sense to check is her bedroom. When I open the door to her room, I finally see what I'm looking for. A white envelope lying innocently center on her perfectly well made bed, my name written in the middle in her cursive feminine handwriting.

I tear it open.

_Dear Eric,_

_Please don't be angry with me for doing this. I know you want to be but too many things have happened recently that neither of us has truly been prepared for. _

_I know you haven't lived as long as you have without being prepared for every alternative you could think of but things are different now. There is a difference in you and I'm not the only one who has realized it. That difference, I know it's me. It took me a very long time to realize it and honestly, I don't know how much you've seen of it yourself but it is there. _

_I also know that you and Pam and those loyal to you are doing what you can to deal with Victor and his goon squad and maybe Felipe too. But the truth is you haven't told me what that is. You've told me before that my not knowing certain things could get me killed but yet there's still so much you're not telling me. Maybe it's for the best that I don't know. Perhaps I don't have enough information to make the best decision, but this decision, I think is the right one to make. _

_Right now, it isn't safe us to be together. I know you believe that you can protect me from every supernatural being that wants me dead but we both know that sometimes that isn't enough. I think it might be a better use of your time to worry about what supernaturals want you dead. Victor's all but painted a big old target on your back and by extension, Pam and me and anyone else loyal to you. I don't think it's a coincidence that both Bill and Judith have been "asked" to do their research all the way down in Argentina either. I get that he's trying maneuver people way from you. And between being Sheriff, dealing with your bar and whatever other businesses you have, on top of dealing with threats from Victor, I realized I've become the last thing that I ever wanted to be with you – a liability. _

_I have no idea if that's how you feel about me after all that's happened but it is how I feel and I can't – I won't put you in a position where I can be used against you. You've said before that you value me too much to let a lack of information get me killed. I value you too much to let myself be used as a political pawn against you. So I've taken that option off the table. _

_Victor is slipperier than an eel and it's going to take a lot to bring him down. I've spoken with Alcide and you need to call him. He'll be expecting it. Victor might have some control over the vampires in his area but he certainly doesn't have control over all the other supes in the state – or realm. _

_Please know I'm not running away from you. It's been made clear to me that I've become a hot commodity in the vampire world for anyone looking for their own personal telepath. That's why I've gone somewhere away from all the vampires that know my name. I hope that when it's safe, I'll be able to see you again, if you still want me._

_Please don't come after me. Know that what I've done is the best option for the both of us. _

_Love,_

_Sookie_

With the letter still clenched in my hand, I suddenly realize I'm sitting. When did I sit down?

She's not running from me. She's…protecting…me. I'm shocked once again by this woman…the steel in this woman. This fragile little human woman would leave everything she knows for…_me_? She made me promise not to turn her but I wonder now how much longer I can keep it. I want the centuries to be filled by her startling nature around me. She won't resent me forever.

After everything that's happened to her…with all the attempts on her life, after the death of her friend and everything else that's happened in the two and a half years I've know her, nothing has made her willing to leave her home. She's refused to let herself be scared away by anything. And now she is willing to leave because she feels she is a danger, no, a liability, to me.

Yes, this woman is living wrong.

I can't describe the strangeness I feel inside me for her. Leaving my protection will make her a target and she knows it. _ That's why I've gone somewhere away from all the vampires that know my name._ Most of the vampires in North America have come to know her name since Rhodes…which can only mean…Fuck. Would she really have left the continent? Where would she even feel comfortable going? What could offer her the protection she needed?

Then it hit me. Fuck me sideways.

Fucking fairies. If those two fairies had anything to do with this…

Drier than the goddamn Sahara comes to mind.

I read through the letter again. How long has she been planning this? Since the fire? Since the witch? Victor has made her a target but we've dealt with it every time. My mind is swimming with all of it. Perhaps I should have told her what we have been planning. Maybe then she wouldn't have left. I could have told her about the summit in December. Everything will happen there.

No, it would be too risky if she were taken again. I could have put her in one of my safe houses until then. But of course, she wouldn't go there willingly. No matter the threat. Stubborn, stubborn, stubborn, even if it kills her. She's right; I do want to be angry with her. Except I seem to be too busy being awed at her deceptiveness.

She's more perceptive that even I realized. Sneaking around behind a thousand years of experience and a slew of vampires that either want her dead or docile. Of course she would catch on to all the vampires being removed from my service.

Have I really changed so much that I wouldn't notice what she was doing? Remembering the last few months, I can see it now. All the times she hasn't wanted to come to Fangtasia or stay at my house. Each time she said she was too tired or had a headache.

Yes, I have changed. I've been slipping.

When I smelt the Were on her property, she claimed he was going to build her a new shed…Herveaux. She told me to call him, why? Did he know what she was planning? He will be sorry if he did and said nothing. Filthy Were.

All the shit with Victor and Felipe and I miss _this? _These blatant and obvious signs. I heave an unnecessary sigh as I rise.

She is completely naïve if she believes I won't find her, wherever she's hiding out.

In her bathroom I find one of her robes. Her scent on it is strong and perfect for the tracker I pick. I might not be able to track her myself with all the scrutiny I'm under but she will be found. I find a plastic bag in her kitchen to stick the robe into and make my way to Fangtasia.

xxx

"Pam," I shout as I settle myself behind the desk in my office. She enters at her vampire speed to stand in front of me. "What did you find?"

She smiles a fanged smile at me. Good news then. "There are only six taxi services in Shreveport and only one had a pick up in Bon Temps this morning at 8 a.m. The driver was not working when I called but I was informed that it was a woman who made the arrangement and was dropped at the airport," she stated in her most bored tone.

If I weren't her maker and attuned to her emotions, I would actually believe she didn't care. She cannot hide her anger or worry from me though; I know how much she's come to favor her favorite little breather.

"She left willingly, I assume," she questioned with a raised eyebrow. "I can't see a taxi service allowing human sized cargo to be placed in the trunk."

"She did." The irritation I feel coming from my child fed my own. It is, yet one more issue to deal with.

"Is she running from you? From…us?" There was an unspoken question there; whether she was running from just me, the two of us or perhaps vampires as a whole. Her letter did not say anything to that effect but I don't know if I could blame her for wanting to get away from all the vampires that have touched her life, even if that meant leaving me.

"She is not running." I handed her the letter for her to read.

After examining the letter, Pam looked at me, hard. Then she went back to the letter. A moment later, I begin to feel the signs of worry come across our bond, followed by a tinge of guilt. _Guilt?_ Pam? _Pam feels guilty?_

"Pamela?" I sit forward in my chair with my elbows on my desk and my fingers laced. "Do you have something you want to share," I ask, raising an eyebrow.

She stops reading the letter and places it on my desk. She looks down without meeting my gaze. Uh-oh. I see it then, her normally blank face slips and I see the worry and…fear behind her neutral mask before it goes back to it's normal bored expression. Fear?

"I might have said something. To Sookie." She looked up at me now, waiting for my reaction.

"What might you have said, exactly?" The deadly calm I spoke with in my voice left in no uncertain terms the things unsaid that might happen to her should she not tell me everything.

"I may have mentioned that lately…you haven't been acting as…practical…as you have in the past. Not when it comes to things that involve her." She kept her head down as she said this, in deference.

Not practical?

I stood up from behind my desk, placing my palms down on it. "Have I been neglecting my duties, Pamela? Have you seen a drop in my duties as Sheriff? Have you seen a drop in the profits in our businesses?"

"Only the profits from the bar, on occasion, Master.

"Forgive me but I have noticed that when you argued with her, when you worried about her in the past, from the time you sent that bastard Twinning to her home unknowingly until you regained your memories, every time you came back from a visit with her, you always returned in a sour mood. Not that I don't mind you using the vermin to release your frustrations but the moods you went through affected the profits greatly. You've seen the profit numbers yourself, in the monthly reports." She finally risks a glance up to me to gauge my reaction.

My hands are crossed over my chest; my expression reveals nothing. Yes, I had seen those reports. That's what Sookie must have meant when she said she wasn't the only one who noticed a difference in me. Pam had told her there was. Still, I could feel her holding back.

"Is there anything else you need to say?"

"I may have also mentioned something about the Shreveport vampires owning you their lives…and that if something should happen to you…we – all the vampires left from Sophie-Anne's regime, would most likely…die."

My hand is on her throat, pinned her against the door of my office. Her feet dangle off the floor as I bring her up to my eye level. I lean into her with my fangs fully extended.

"What the fuck were you thinking? Did you want scare the shit out of her?"

"No! Of course not!" It was a good think Pam didn't breathe or she would start to lose consciousness right about now. "We were only speaking of you initially. She was still unsure then about how much she meant to you – what she has become to you. I informed her. She had a right to know, Eric."

I let her go. I watched as she tumbled to the ground in black Fangtasia uniform and high pumps and picked herself up. As she was straightening her dress I ask, "When was this?" I was seething. She should not be worrying about our politics.

"The night we killed Bruno and Corinna."

"Pamela, we have not finished discussing this. However, right now we have more pressing matters to attend to." I handed her my blackberry. "I have uploaded a list of all the trackers I know in North America. One's that are starred owe me a personal favor. Start with those. Find one who can be here by tomorrow night or the following night at the absolute latest. If none of them can be here by tomorrow, start calling the others on the list. Discretion is a must.

"She must be back here in time for the summit in December. Felipe will be expecting her to work for him then. If she is not…" I couldn't finish my thought. "Prepare yourself for later. After we close we will be visiting the security personal and the airport.

"Go. Now. I have a Were to call and neuter and possibly a fairy in Monroe to drain." She bows and exits at her top speed, causing a flyer to fly off my desk and onto the floor.

Next up, Herveaux.

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**A/N: **

**Well, there you go, part one of the Eric Chapter. I hope you all enjoyed it. I hope it answered some questions for everyone. I wanted to establish a sense of urgency with his inner voice and I hope that came across well. **

**I am going to try and update faster now. My goal is two chapters a week, so Eric pov, part 2 is on the way soon. **

**And don't forget to review**!


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Thanks everyone for all your positive reviews on Part 1 of the Eric chapter. **

**I'm really excited about all the attention my story is getting – There's close to 100 alerts on it already. Not to mention all the favs. Also big thanks to everyone who has added me to author alerts. This is just my first story so that means some of you have a lot of faith to go adding me to author alerts already. :)**

**All characters here belong to Mrs. Charlaine Harris. **

**Any mistakes are mine, as I am beta free.**

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Chapter 5

_"The nice thing about being a pessimist is that you are being either proven right or pleasantly surprised."_

- George F. Will

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Eric POV Part 2

"This is Alcide," stated the gruff voice of the Were. I've come to regret not forcing him into paying off his family's debt in money.

"Were. It's Northman. I have been instructed to call you. Care to enlighten me as to why?" I swear if I could pull him through the phone, I would.

"Huh. I guess Sookie doesn't tell you everything. Look at that."

"My fantasies of killing you slowly are growing, wolf." Dismemberment. Disemboweling. Disfiguring. I think I'll throw a "D" themed party. "What have you two arranged?"

"You know, all this hostility is going to make working with you very difficult, bloodsucker."

Huh? "Excuse me?"

"Honestly, I thought she would have told you by now, since our negotiations involved you." What? Why the fuck would she be negotiating for me? And what else did she get herself…and me into?

"Explain. What negotiations are you speaking about?" Perhaps she's learned how to hide things too well.

"Over the past few months Sookie has been working with all the Packmasters in Louisiana. We've been meeting every two weeks since. It was something that should have been done before the reveal but couldn't be helped until now. Sookie's been using her gift to help us organize the packs. She asked me not to say anything to you till you called me. I figured she woulda told you, what with you being pledged and bonded and all." And there's the dig I was waiting for. "Guess she's about as good at sharing as you are." Keep digging furball.

"Let me see if I understand you correctly," I state slowly. My fingers are pressed to the bridge of my nose by this point and I'm struggling not to crush the phone's receiver in my other hand. "You asked her to help you organize the packs of Louisiana into…what, exactly?"

"I didn't ask her anything. She volunteered. She called me one day out of the blue and started calling in all the favors she said I owed her. I hadn't kept a tally but it turned out to be a whole bunch of favors." Understatement of the fucking year.

"So she calls in her favors by volunteering to help the packs? I believe I'm missing something here." When did she find the time to do all this?

"No, that's not what happened exactly. The first thing she asked for in repayment was a pledge from the pack for loyalty," he paused there, before clearing his throat, "to you." There was another pause here. I was stunned. Vampires and Weres only mingled if a threat involved both partied. "Should a situation arise where you would need us and our numbers." I seem to be at a loss.

"I see."

"She was cagey about it, which wasn't like her. Said that the vampires in charge right now don't really like you very much. She said it like she was expecting something to go down." That is always a possibility.

"That would be putting it mildly. So, can I say then that I have your pack's complete loyalty, should the time arise where I would need it?"

"You can. The pack wasn't happy about it none but as Packmaster, my word is the rule. Our loyalty is yours as long as you need it; and not only ours but all the packs in Louisiana."

My hand flew down to my desk as I stood up. "What?"

"That was part of the rest of the favors I owed her. I helped her to set up a meeting with every Packmaster in Louisiana. After a whole mess of arguing and Sookie having to prove again what she can do, she proposed helping the packs organize.

"She demonstrated how she could weed out the liars and the thieves to make their packs safer and also prevent another pack war like the one we had last year. They're planning to integrate some of the other shifters into the packs to help with the organization. Sam Merlotte's got a place with us even though he still sticks mostly to himself." So the Shifter new about this too?

"If this works out, and I know a lot of the packmasters want it to, this could be a trial run for packs throughout the country." He stops here, letting me absorb the information. Finally deciding to put her gift to use and she does it for _Weres?_ Irritating.

"And their loyalty comes in, how?" So what if my dense questions get me the most forward answers.

"As payment. Sookie refused to accept monetary compensation." Of course she did. "She requested that instead of money, they pledge their loyalty to 'her husband.'"

She called me her husband?

"It didn't go over well. She had to promise that you would never abuse their loyalty or make requests that would be…how can I put this…beneath them." I snorted into the phone. Because I frequently require services from Weres.

"The ground isn't to far from the belly of a wolf, Herveaux."

"And silver jewelry is never an over worn accessory for a vampire, Northman."

"And the end result?"

"You've got around three hundred Weres and another thirty or so different shifters in your retinue loyal to you."

Un-be-fucking-livable. That woman secured me a goddamn Were army. My pride was already swelling for her just for getting the Shreveport pack. But all of Louisiana's? Fuck, if pride was tangible, it would fill the whole damn town.

"I'm not familiar with all the pack leaders in the state. I'll need their information from you."

"I've got it all here. Don't let this go to your head Northman but the packs could use your skills to develop our organization. Being part of the machine, you are familiar how it works." Huh, the wonders never cease.

"I'll consider it. It would certainly increase their loyalty to me."

"Yes, it would."

"Considering the amount of time you and _my_ wife have been spending together, perhaps you can elucidate her current whereabouts."

Other than his breathing there was nothing but silence on the other end. Finally, after I was on the verge of tracking him down – fealty or not, "She…she said she was going to be away for a while, the last time we spoke." Progress. About time. "Didn't say where," he hesitated before continuing, "I thought you knew."

My irritation flared. I should have questioned him about Sookie first. "Tell me what was said. Verbatim."

"Uh…during out last meeting in Shreveport, which was a couple of days ago, she told me she'd be leaving Bon Temps for a while. She asked that I continue to coordinate with the packs and she would contact me when she could but didn't say when that'd be. I figured it was vamp related and didn't ask.

"She did a lot already – that fairy of hers would pop her and Merlotte wherever she needed to go to meet the pack then she'd do her thing for the day and be done.

Of course, everything would be done during the day. "Why was Merlotte there?"

"Are you kidding? He was her guard dog. Sometimes quite literally," He laughed. Good doggie. Maybe I won't put you to sleep.

"I see. You have no idea where she could have run off to?"

"I don't. Sookie's never been one to run from something important."

"I am aware of that. Is there anything else I should be aware of?"

"I think that about covers it for now."

After giving me the information for the other pack leaders, I called them to confirm everything the wolf said. All true. All agreeing to work under me for the good of their packs. I now have seven different packs who pledged me their fealty. Unbelievable.

My argumentative, stubborn, fiery little fae princess negotiated for a fucking army. For my use. For her telepathy. And I'm the Viking Chieftain come Vampire Area Sheriff. My thoughts circled like this for several minutes. Of all the humans I have met, none have ever proven themselves anywhere near as useful as her. Pam is the only one even remotely close. Does she even count when I knew her human life so briefly?

As I was pondering what I knew of a human Pam, she entered bringing back my phone.

"Conrad will be here tomorrow night. He just finished an assignment in North Carolina and I arranged his flight so that he should be here by ten." Conrad is a good tracker and he owes me for cleaning up a mess his child made that resulted in the death of over twenty children in Slovenia.

"Conrad is a good choice. Was he the closest?"

"Yes, there was another, Hiro, in Chicago but he was on an assignment for the King there."

"I had heard recently of a samurai entering into a retainer with the King of Chicago. I didn't realize it was Hiro. Pity." Hiro was well know for his skills as a tracker but even more so for the skills he brought over with him when he was turned in the 14th Century. "Perhaps he can be swayed out of it at a later date." It would be useful to have another warrior in my retinue and Hiro was one of the best.

"Victor might be suspicious though. We still don't know how much of this is Victor's doing or Felipe's. If one of Victor's spies sees a new vampire here – one as well known as Conrad or Hiro –"

"He won't know. You will collect Conrad at the airport tomorrow and bring him here through the back – make sure he isn't seen, prepare a place for him to rest during the day and provide him with anything he may require before he sets out. He will need to leave immediately once we determine a direction.

"If the airport yields any information tonight you will schedule an Anubis flight for him immediately for the day after tomorrow." Modern technology has been very rewarding if only for the surveillance opportunities.

Between talking to Herveaux and Pam I took the time to prod the bond between Sookie and myself. I can feel her moving again; wherever she stopped, it wasn't for long. I can feel the bond stretching between us, almost painfully. Closing my eyes I feel for the part of my mind that is the connection to her and push at it, hoping for a reaction. It's faint but it's there – sadness, anger, fear and guilt.

After the bonding in Rhodes, I made use of my time healing to research blood bonds. Ours, is fairly unique. Most vampires in the past would only use the human to secure their identity somewhere. The humans would never stray far from the vampire. There was no point when they were so easily tracked and glamoured. If the vampire really cared for the human, they would be turned and that would be the end of it. There was nothing on what it would feel like being separated by large distances. Would I still be able to track her? To feel her? She could block me from her with her own shields.

"Master?" Pam was looking at me with a raised eyebrow and annoyed body language. Her arms crossed over her chest and her weight rested on her left leg while she tapped her right foot.

Apparently she was saying something while my mind was elsewhere.

"Pam?" I raised an eyebrow back while I leaned back in my chair.

"I was just wondering if you were losing your hearing in your old age," she smirked at me. "Since you obviously didn't hear a word I said."

"Speak, Pamela." I really wasn't in the mood for her flippancy tonight.

"Sandy called earlier. She wants to speak with you about the revenues for the club…and the taxes for the King." Ugg, Felipe wants to bleed my fucking club dry.

"I hate that bitch. We'll deal with it later." That woman needs the stick removed from her ass and placed squarely into her unbeating heart.

"She could certainly use a few styling tips. Her wardrobe reminds me of one of those horrible utilitarian school principles."

"Perhaps you'll have the opportunity to school her at a later date." Oh, my Pam, she always has her priorities.

Getting up to leave, we make our way to bar. The new bartender there had not been informed of the fates of the previous four and I have no intention of revealing them. The current bartender is someone I trust from my days before I became Sherriff when I spent some time with the Duchess of Milan. Maurizio is a handsome Italian, taller than the average at just over six feet with an olive coloring to his skin typical of Mediterranean sun, dark cropped hair and hazel eyes. He was loyal to his maker before she met her end and remains an excellent soldier. He will be a useful asset if I ever decide to make a move for the state. For now, he will draw in the fangbangers well.

The bar was in full swing as I looked around. I can already see the fangbangers eyeing me and I'm libel to just toss them across the room if they get too close. They'd probably even like it. Idiots. "I will return before we close," I tell Pam, who simply nods.

xxx

I walk into Hooligans like it's my own bar and I'm the King of it. The fairy smell is faintly mixed in with the smells of the patrons, sweat and alcohol. Claude was never able to mask his scent the way Niall could.

I flash up to the office where the fairy is working, busting through the door without so much as a knock and splintering the door frame. "Fairy."

"Viking." Claude states in a dull tone while leaning back in his chair behind a large mahogany desk. Papers were strewn about from my abrupt entrance. There's another heartbeat in the room. I scan the room briefly before realizing it's coming from under the desk.

I move closer to the desk to where the rest of him is visible and still very erect. The man situated below the desk, still unmoving, was wearing very little. His shaggy dark hair was tangled and he had a slight deer in the headlights look to him at being caught blowing the owner. Probably one of the strippers. I lock eyes with him. "Out."

The fairy has the nerve to raise his fucking eyebrow at me. I crossed my arms. "You have some explaining to do, fairy." The anger in my voice and my command for the human to leave was having no effect on the fucker's arousal.

"What am I explaining?" He's smiling at me now. Douche.

In a flash I have him pinned against the wall; my hand around his throat and my fangs down. I'm practically snarling at him at this point. "You were at Sookie's today before I got there. You haven't been there in over a week. She's been sneaking around for months. And now…now she has all but disappeared. What. Do. You. Know?" I squeeze a little harder on his throat and he's gone with a _pop._

My hand falls at the empty space.

"Relax Viking." I spin around with my fangs bared. He's standing by the glass wall of his office that overlooks the club and puts himself back in his pants. "I was there today because she called and left me a message to come by this morning. She left a letter for me and Dermot."

"And?" I gave him a skeptical expression. "What did it say?"

"She said that she was leaving. She did not say if or when she would be back or where she was going. She asked that we look over the house for her while she is gone, make sure no one breaks in, and tend to the yard. She also said not to go near any vampires that are not you or Pam. Not even Bill since she does not trust his self control around fairies."

"That's it? She didn't say anything about why or…anything?"

"I think the why is fairly obvious, don't you," he started to border on condescending. "As to the where, I'm unsure. Not long after Colman and your Maker were killed on the front lawn, she began asking questions about the portals to Faerie. Niall had given me a letter to give to her. He had paid off someone to get the FBI away from her. She also wanted to know if I could get a letter to him and if there were any portals still left in this realm."

"Are there?"

"There are portals on other continents. There were several portals in Ireland, some in France where the Gauls were once, I know there was one on one of the former British island colonies in the East and there is one in Australia. Whether they are open, I do not know."

"Why would she be looking for a fae portal? After Neave and Lochlan, I thought she would never want to go near another fairy again."

"I don't know," I look hard at him. His answers so nonchalant, like he's answering a quiz show. "I swear, she never told me. I can only speculate."

"Then I suggest you start speculating."

"She asked a lot of questions about Niall – if he regretted closing the portals, if he wanted to see her again, about his businesses, his leadership role with the Fae, his fairy essence, if there were still Fae who followed Breandan's beliefs…make of that what you will." He waved his hand as if they were all the most ridiculous queries he'd ever heard. "I don't know what the letter she asked me to give him contained. I suppose it was filled with some of those questions."

"What do you mean, 'his fairy essence?'"

"Niall is one of the most powerful fairies in all of the Fae realm. His essence is very strong."

"What does that have to do with Sookie?" Every day I regret introducing her to Niall a little bit more.

"She has the spark and her essence comes from being of his bloodline. The more Fae around her, the stronger her essence – her Fae streak, becomes."

"Did Niall ever reply to Sookie's letter?"

"Not that I know of."

I feel like I've just been slapped. "You didn't move in with her because you were 'lonely' without your sister. What were you trying to achieve?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "Her Fae side is stronger now. Between Dermot and myself, there has been a slight increase. Also she is safer if there is someone in the house with her. As you can well attest to," he smiled with a shit-eating grin.

"I can," I state through gritted teeth. If it hadn't been for Sookie's cousin, I would most definitely have met my final death. I suppose I shouldn't drain him.

Sookie wouldn't like it if even more of her family were gone. Oh…_Oh._

"Niall told you to move in with her." That ballsy fucking fairy.

Claude didn't answer; he just looked out the window at the club. I moved over to him to see what was so goddamn more fascinating than fairy essences and royal family ties. Dark hair and little else was on stage. Well, isn't that nice. "What does it mean for her if her Fae side is stronger?"

"Hard to say, there aren't may part Fae left in this world. She might live longer. She might develop some magic of her own or she might remain exactly as she is. She might develop an allergy to lemons for all I know."

"Does she know?"

"She knows that by staying in her house – being near each other, has increased her fairy essence, yes. Other than that nothing, since nothing else has come of it, yet."

None of the answers I was expecting and whole shit pile of more questions. Fanfreakingtastic.

"Would you have done it if Niall didn't tell you to?"

He just looked at me. Fucking selfish prick.

xxx

A few hours later Pam and I found ourselves at the Shreveport airport. I hadn't bothered to return Sandy's call. Pam glamoured a security officer into telling us where the surveillance office is. After the remaining guards were subdued I instructed one to explain how to review the footage.

"You said the taxi picked her up at eight," I ask Pam as the guard opened a file with videos from earlier in the day.

"I did, which would put her here approximately at a quarter to." Pam, watching the guard opened the same file on her computer screen.

"Alright. We should start looking for her around 8:30. Every camera between 8:30 and 9:30." The guard got up and went to sit in the corner with the other two. I sat down in his chair.

"I will look through all the cameras over American Airlines and Delta. Take Continental and U.S. Airways. That leaves Northwest for last."

An hour later, Pam startled me out of the silence that had eclipsed the room. "I think I found her. Here! Look." Pam actually sounded excited.

Rolling the chair over to her, I looked at what she was pointing at. There at one of the Delta counters, with dark hair was Sookie.

"Can you see what her ticket says," I ask.

"No. The camera doesn't zoom. And either way, it's not angled such that it we could tell." Well, shit.

I move over to one of the guards and grabbing his jaw with my hands I force him to look at me. "How can I get a passenger and flight manifest for a Delta flight?"

"You need the computer in the Delta office where they keep the flight information."

"Is there anyone in that office now?"

"Shouldn't be at this time of night."

Ten minutes later I had the guard seated at a blinking computer in the Delta airport office. "Find the files."

"How?" I stare at him. Is he serious?

"Put in the password and open the flight lists."

He stared at the screen with that glassy, glamoured look. "I don't have the password. I work in Security. I don't work for Delta."

And things were going so well earlier… "Fucking useless."

"We can come back tomorrow, Eric," Pam said quietly from behind me. "If we get here at first dark we might be able to glamour whoever works here to give us the information we need." Pam hit me with a questioning gaze, as if to say, w_hy didn't you think of that?_

"Did I ever tell you you're my favorite child?"

"No, but I tell you you're my favorite maker every time I win a good fight." Indeed she does.

There's about two hours left until dawn and I make my way back to my house. The puzzle pieces are slowly fitting together.

The next night at first dark, I was back at the airport. It was just after six and a pretty brunette in airline colors was just locking up the Delta office. I had left Pam to her own devices since she had to be here later to pick up Conrad.

"Hello," I say in my spider catching the fly voice.

"Um..hi. Can I help you," she stammered. I was invading her personal space and humans were always uneasy about that.

"You can actually," I say, catching her eyes. "I'm looking for someone who flew on a Delta flight yesterday morning and I need to know where it went."

"Oh well I can help you there," she smiled, disturbingly, with her eyes gazing at something far away. "Come with me."

She opened the door to the office and proceeded to tell me there were six flights that left between nine and noon yesterday.

"Which ones headed west?"

"Two – one to LAX and one to Sea-Tac in Seattle."

"Print me the passenger manifests."

Twenty minutes later after not seeing her name anywhere on the manifests I had just about given up, until another name caught my eye.

Sam Merlotte was listed as an emergency contact for one, Sabrina Summers. Seat 14B, direct to LAX.

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**A/N: So this brings us to the conclusion of Eric's POV for a while. **

**Next chapter: Sookie gets a visit from someone "special."**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: **** Thank you everyone for the reviews, favs and alerts. You should all be rewarded with a fairy striptease. Now I got a few comments bravoing Sook's initiative with the Were packs. The first every organized hierarchy of Were's and she is instrumental. And then complaining she's dumb for putting Sam's name as an EC. Seriously people, she doesn't work for air control. And she's not omnipotent.**

**Characters belong to Charlaine Harris**

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Chapter 6

_You can discover what your enemy fears most by observing the means he uses to frighten you. – Eric Hoffer_

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November 1st

Last night was Halloween here. I always took it for granted that people celebrated it the same way we did back home. Clearly I'd been mistaken. Forget the whole harvest thing, being that its spring in Australia in October and flowers are blooming. The hotel decorated for it some – mostly for the tourists coming from the north. It's a funny dichotomy for someone like me whose used to fall colors in October and then to see surfers out in trunks and bikinis.

I helped Nicki with it during a morning lull a few days ago. Felt leaves and mini pumpkins were staged all around the lounge areas. I drew a vampire face on a mini pumpkin for the front desk with bloody fangs and blue eyes. I have no drawing skills but it made me and the other staff who saw it laugh hysterically, especially when I decided to arch one of its eyebrows. Abigail, the front desk manager thought it was funny that a vampire pumpkin should have eyebrows.

I hadn't laughed that hard in a while. It brought me back to decorating last year for Halloween, helping Sam string leaves up on the wood between the windows and paint pumpkins on the glass. The real fun was painting the mini pumpkins to look like the regulars.

Sam and I talked last month amount having some games or a contest this year to draw in more customers. He wasn't happy with the business being dragged away by Victor's ridiculous "roadhouse." He liked having a family business but until someone directs Victor to the pointy end of a stake and his bar closes, Sam's going to have to up his game.

I called Sam after I'd been in Sydney a week. He promised to tell my brother that I was ok. I didn't want him revealing that I'd left Louisiana. Jason can be glamoured and it would be easy for a vampire to get information from him. The less Jason knew, the better of he would be and for my brother, that's not saying much.

It's safe to say they're not my biggest fans at the moment. They didn't get any forewarning of my plans. I told Sam I'd be taking time off – just not how much. It's hard to say when you don't know when you'll be back. His anger filtered right through the phone when he launched into a tirade about Eric storming into the bar demanding to know where I'd gone after Los Angeles. I'm not surprised he found out I'd stopped there, but at how he knew Sam was my emergency contact. Not that Sam knew. That happened the third day I'd been gone. Of course, Sam didn't know – and he didn't want to.

I can't believe that deterred Eric for long though. I talked to Sam once more after hanging up on him for yelling at me. He hadn't heard another peep from any Area five vamps.

Sam couldn't stay mad at me for long. He was only too happy to congratulate me on getting the vampires out of my life. I didn't really want to correct him. Sam hadn't been happy much since Merlotte's got firebombed. Even after the renovations, he still had loads of work to do that left him looking like death on a warm day.

I admit, it was nice not dealing with vampire politics for a while. No stonewalling information from Eric, no Were calling for a favor, no dirty innuendos from Claude. Unfortunately that also meant no sexy time with my Viking. That was the bigger downer with this plan o' mine.

As the day wore on I saw more and more people come and go in costumes. No matter where you went the costumes for women were the same these days – sexy witch, sexy devil, sexy nurse, sexy ghostbuster…

Seriously? Sexy ghostbuster? It was the excuse every girl needed to dress in as little as possible and not be called something horrible because of it.

It reminded me a little of the fangbangers at Fangtasia, always dressing in the skimpy clothing they thought vampires liked. Dressing provocatively for them was a year round tradition rather than a once a year romp in a mini-dress. So it was no surprise when the amount of skin shown on Halloween at Fangtasia did not differ one iota.

It's still the 31st though in my other time zone. It made me wonder if the routine would be the same this year in hopes for a Dracula visit. I'll make sure to watch _The Great Pumpkin_ later.

Today it's quiet. Even though Halloween isn't huge here, there are still plenty of parties to go to. Many of the guests slept off their intoxication until after noon. The people with kids weren't so lucky. Only a few people came up to me with questions and I spent the rest of the day preparing for an environmental convention that is going to be held at the hotel in a week. I didn't feel so guilty about dipping into the thoughts of the people I was organizing for. Technically, they're paying me to put together what these people want. Seeing it in their head makes what they want done that much easier to know. I did try to keep out of the heads of my co-workers, just as much as I would have with Sam and Charlsie and Kennedy.

I really enjoyed working here. Peoples thoughts tended to be more positive since most of them are on vacation. Lots of them spoke other languages and were easier not to pay attention to. The constant rotation of people was refreshing, the thoughts different and I found that even with the diminishing vampire blood, my shields were practiced enough that it took less concentration to keep them in place.

Of course that could also be because I didn't have to deal with vampire hours and my stress level dropped from red alert to guarded blue.

I was jarred from my thoughts by the tapping on my shoulder. I jumped and spun around. Okay, not my finest moment. "Nicki," I said as my heart returned to its regularly scheduled beating.

"Sabrina, are you ok? I called your name five times and you didn't so much as look up." Nicki's face was drawn together and worried.

Crap, did I really not hear her? "Sorry I was just…concentrating, on this." I looked down to see what papers were in front of me. It was tentative itinerary for the convention. There were only four items on it so far.

"I see that," she answered skeptically. "Are you ready to go?"

Oh. I looked at my watch. It was a little after 6:30 in evening and my shift had ended without my realizing it. Sometimes my hours changed depending on the day, particularly on weekends when there were more tourists. I would stay later to give people information on the city's night activities that bars, clubs and other event organizers would send to the hotel. Not that I partook. I was still twitchy about nighttime activities, especially in a big city. It was getting a little easier. The days were longer since it was getting on to summer here. Another oddity for me – but it made me comfortable staying out later. Too comfortable maybe.

Tonight, Nicki had persuaded me into going shopping with her. Since I was a new employee my paycheck was running one behind and I still had another two weeks to go before I got paid. I didn't really want to go spending extra money but I could really use the companionship. Knowing a Were had made my adjustment easier.

The problem was, Nicki liked to shop. I mean, _really _liked to shop. It was borderline compulsive. The thoughts I did get from her occasionally were a little depressing and had faint blue coloring to them. She used shopping to taker her mind off her thoughts. I gathered that she didn't have a pack to run with and whether she was cast out of a local pack or chose to be alone like Tray had, I didn't know. I wasn't about to ask, either.

"I'm ready." I needed linins. I bought two pairs of sheets after I found my apartment. I also got a sheer set of curtains in citrine to bring some more color into my bedroom and sheer caramel ones for the living room.

Today I was getting darker curtains to block out some of the morning light. The sun rose earlier than I was used to and sleeping was a problem sometimes. A few pots and cookware were on the agenda as well. So far I'd been surviving on the free passes from the hotel dining area, a single boiling pot that was leftover from the previous tenant and one baking dish. Everything else I made used either the microwave or could be eaten without cooking. I also needed a small toaster. Nicki got me to eat vegemite one morning. Ugg. Never again.

She planned on showing me some discount stores in another area of the city. I was very happy to hear that, though I didn't show it.

"You're adjusting well," Nicki stated, glancing at me before turning back to watch the road. I looked at her. Did she mean my job or being in another country?

"Lots of people, you know the ones who come over on the type of visa you did, they don't care much about what they're doing here. Complete bludgers. As long as they get to go to the beach, party and travel, they're content. They show up exhausted from the night before or hung over or late. You're much quieter than others."

Was that a compliment? I couldn't tell. Was she happy I wasn't partying the night away? "Um, thank you?"

She laughed. "Sorry, I meant that you have a good work ethic. If you are a party girl, like most of the people that come through here, you hide it very well."

"Oh. I'm not that much of a partier." Too many thoughts in one place. "I prefer lying on the beach." If I had one vice, the sun would be it.

"I can tell. You got the tan to match." It's definitely true. Any daylight hours I wasn't looking for a job or an apartment or working, I was on the beach with a blanket and a book. I made plenty of headway on the tan. Not so much on the book. I was frequently distracted Speedo clad surfers. Oh, my lord – the Speedos. The wetsuits. The Speedos under the wetsuits.

"What about you, I can tell you like the beach."

"Oh, I do. Spent years on the beach, in the water, on a surfboard – you name it." She smiled.

"When did you start surfing?" I had never seen anyone surf before I came here. I never realized what I was missing.

"When I was little. The whole family does it. They started me when I was about six or seven I think. I haven't gone out recently though. Last time I was out I flipped over right into a swarm of jellies." She shuttered. "Let's just say, that's not something I'd like to repeat anytime soon."

"Jellyfish are typical here?" I don't know if I want to go in the water anymore.

"This time of year, when the weather gets warm, they breed, so the water can be full of them. I'd be careful, if I were you, about going in the water."

"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind," I said as we pulled into the parking lot of a big outlet center. It was designed sort of like a strip mall but with outlets for dozens of big name brands.

I didn't want to risk spending on unnecessary clothes, even though I'd like to. And there was a Calvin Klein outlet right across the way. I never had anything designer and it would be too tempting to splurge if I went in.

"Why don't we split up? I'll find a house wares place while you look at clothes?" I really didn't want to wait around while someone else shopped for clothes.

"Alright. Call me when you're done so we can find each other. There's an Adairs over there. They've got everything you need." And that was that. She headed off toward a Ferragamo outlet. If only.

She was right. Everything. I came out with new sheets, a blanket, pillows and opaque curtains that will add a second layer to my other ones, all in varying shades of yellow, light green and grey. I also got a bathmat and some more towels. Nearby there was a shop where I picked up some cheap cookware, a frying pan, pots, a four set of dishes and glasses. I had never been outlet shopping before. If this was how Nicki afforded to go shopping all the time, I am so down for that.

By the time I left the second store it was full dark. I made my way to Nicki's car to call and wait for her. I guess it was in my momentary contentment that I didn't immediately notice the void sitting in the car at the other end of the parking lot.

My body perked up. He wasn't doing anything but sitting there. Maybe he just wanted to shop.

Maybe I was Vivian Leigh.

What I did know was that I was not about to stand around in a dark parking lot to wait and find out. I started walking back to the outlets while I called Nicki. Balancing the phone and shopping bags and walking – not always easy.

"Where are you," I asked as soon as she picked up.

"Still in Ferragamo. You done already?"

"Yeah, and I'm starving. Do you think you'll be done soon?" I hoped so. I was hungry when I left but anything that made her finish up faster. We were supposed to grab dinner back near the beach. Now I just wanted to get home.

"I'm nearly done. Can't decide between totes."

I walked in just as she was paying. Seeing the price, even discounted nearly gave me heart attack. My eyes popped but I schooled my face before she looked up from signing the receipt.

"Everything ok?" She looked at me after grabbing her bags.

"Yeah. All good. Just hungry." I smiled. It must have been a little too wide because she gave a strange look.

As we crossed the parking lot, she caught the scent in the breeze. She turned in the direction of the vampire. I didn't see him through the windshield but his void told me he was nearby.

Nicki let out a low growl. "Vampire." Guess vamps and weres weren't on the best of terms here either.

"Come on," was all I said. I had no desire to explain my long history with vampires to her.

We loaded everything quickly into Nicki's sedan and drove off. We sat in an uncomfortable silence for about ten minutes before I broke first.

"Is there a problem with vampires here?" I didn't want to insinuate that she had a problem with them or that I did. Safe to leave it general.

"We don't get them around too often this time of year. Lots move since the days get really long during summer." Her face was grim as she stared at the road.

"So…a vampire here is strange?"

"No, not really. There are always vampires around but they more secretive here then in America. Did you know there was a vampire in the parking lot?"

I looked at her. How would she have known?

I guess my look answered her question. "Your heart rate was off the chart, love."

Oh, right. Weres have really good hearing. "Yes, I saw him sitting in his car when I was waiting for you."

"But how did you know? You couldn't have seen him well from that far away." She was stealing more glances at me as she drove and it was making me nervous.

Shit, she noticed that. "Um, I can see their glow." I really didn't want to be having this conversation. The more things I said about vampires, the likelier I'd be to say something I'll regret later.

"Vampires _glow_?" Huh?

"Yeah, you can't see it?" I thought all supes could.

"I can't. We know what they are by smell." She gave me a funny look then, like she was concentrating really hard on something. Then she inhaled through her nose deeply. This smelling people thing is really irritating. "What are you?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Cancer. It's between Gemini and Leo." I was _so_ tired of that question.

"There's no need to be sarcastic. I was only curious. You smell human but you can see a vampire's glow?"

I sighed. Gran would have slapped me sideways for being so rude. But there was just no way I'd get into being a telepathic part-fairy. One of those two things had to do with seeing them glow; I'm sure of it. I also didn't want to get on the bad side of my new boss.

"I can't explain it. I didn't know I could do it until I met my first vampire a few years ago." I told her I ran into one at a club in Shreveport. While technically true, that I had met a vampire in Shreveport, several, in fact, he wasn't my first.

"Huh." We fell into an uncomfortable silence after that.

It wasn't long until we reached the street where the restaurant is. Suddenly, I wasn't so up for more uncomfortable silence. "You hungry," I asked.

"Not really." Her mouth twitched to the side and she sighed. "It's not any of my business. What you are. I can tell you're different."

Now it was my turn to sigh. "Yeah, I get that a lot. I'd rather not talk about it." And thank God, she didn't push.

"Want me to drop you at your place?"

"Thanks that would be great."

A few minutes later, after profuse thank yous for taking me shopping, I let myself into my apartment laden with my purchases.

I took all my kitchen purchases and got myself started on a real dinner. I finally had the utensils to make Gran's fried chicken and I wasn't about to put them to waste. I turned the TV on to some Australian news station and listened as I got my dinner ready.

The kitchen was still fairly pristine. I hadn't bought anything to make it homier aside from utensils and dish towels. The only think adorning my wall space aside from the cabinets was a Fangtasia calendar. I had changed the page this morning to November. Maxwell Lee. He has a more muscular torso than I would have expected under those well tailored suits he wears.

No turning of ugly vampires. Well, except Mickey. Waldo too. Actually the Berts weren't so hot either… Goddamnit.

In between frying my chicken, I took out the rest of my purchases and started hanging my new curtains. I can multi-task like no other!

I decided to take my dinner on to the patio to eat since it was such a nice night. I could hear distantly the thoughts from other apartments but my shields are getting to the point where I almost never forget to have them raised and it was less of an effort to keep them that way. Sort of like having a concrete wall with a door that opened when you pulled, instead of brick wall with a swinging door that moved either way, even in a breeze.

Selectively, I like to lower my shields from time to time to make sure I don't run into something I shouldn't. I know it's rude but every so often I pick through my neighbors heads or the passing people down below. I know I shouldn't. I've worked all my life to keep out of people's heads and respect their privacy but I also refuse to be caught unaware if something should happen.

So naturally, something did.

A void happened. I stood up to look over the patio. There was a vampire standing in front of my building. He looked like he was talking on a cell phone. I stepped back inside quickly. I had no idea if this vampire could fly. It could be a passing coincidence, right? Two vampire voids in one day. So effing typical.

I lock the door to the patio and move my new opaque curtains across the wall so that all of the glass door and window are covered.

I kept the TV on as I went to the bathroom to put away the towels and put the bathmat in place. As I was putting up the dark green curtains in my bedroom, my door bell rang. I wasn't expecting anybody. It was a little after nine and had only met one person from my building when I was in the elevator.

Who was I kidding? If it was a vampire, they couldn't get in without an invite. I quickly looked through the peephole and practically jumped for joy.

I swung open the door. "Great Grandfather!" I launched into him. "You came."

"Of course, child." He looked at me, taking in my new dark hair. "I could not have you come all this way and not pay you a visit."

I realized I was still hugging him. I disentangled myself and looked at him. He was impeccably dressed, as always, in a tailored steel grey suit. His blonde hair was pulled back perfectly and he still carried his cane. We were also still in the hallway.

"Would you like to come in?"

He nodded and stepped inside.

"Please, have a seat," I said, pointing to the couch. "Can I get you something to drink?"

"Tea would be lovely," he said while looking around the small living room.

I set the kettle to boil and came back to sit with him on the other side of the couch, with my hands folded in my lap.

"Tell me, Great Granddaughter, what is so important that you couldn't tell me in the letter from Claude?"

"I wouldn't even know where to beginning putting pen to paper on everything I have to say to you."

"I suspected as much. Claude has informed me of Coleman's passing. I am sorry he turned his rage against you." His eyes locked with mine intensely for a moment. "I did not know he had left the Fae realm before the portals closed, otherwise, he would have been stopped."

I certainly wasn't expecting that. He was blaming himself, at least in part for Coleman's actions. Had he not sent Claudine to be my guardian, she would never have sacrificed herself for me.

"I'm sorry too. I miss Claudine."

"As do I, child."

"How are things in the Fae realm now? Have Breandan's followers been caught?"

"Most of them have, yes. There are still some out there in hiding. And there are still many of my followers who do not see humans or part-faes as I do. I have been gaining ground. We will find the rest of Breandan's followers soon. Of this, I am sure."

"I'm glad to hear it." Really, really glad. "Are there many like me?"

"Like you – none. You are descended from my blood and you are telepathic. You are wholly unique. However, there are other half or quarter Fae who present with the spark. It is rare for someone with less than a quarter to do so. And more than half of those with a quarter present no spark."

Huh. Something to think about for later. Especially if Fintan had other children like I suspect he did. "What does it mean for me – to have the spark?"

"It can vary, depending on the strength of the individual and the fairy line they have descended from. My lineage has very strong magic and is very old. Most of the part-Fae I have encountered with less than half fairy blood are simply very good at attracting others. Some are magnets for humans. Some are like you and attract…other individuals." Like vampires. "It does not always end well for those that attract other supernatural creatures, unfortunately."

"I've been called a supe magnet before. The only human ever interested in me before I met vampires turned out to be a shifter. Is that all it does for me, attract supes?"

"No. Nothing is that simple. As I said to you previously, your grandfather Fintan was just over 600 years old when he went to the Summerlands. Obviously, he did not look it. Your father did not have the spark but being a quarter Fae would have extended his life regardless. The same holds true for you. Longer even, with your spark, my essence."

Whoa. I feel like Neo watching Morpheus jumping over a building for the first time.

"Are you telling me, I'm going to live to be 600 years old? Do you know how many people are trying to kill me? In the last few years I've been in more life threatening situations than I can count!" Thankfully the kettle whistling put a stop to my hysterics before I could go further.

After tea was served, Niall continued as if I hadn't made a fool of myself. "Fintan would have lived longer but that is neither here nor there at the moment. It is unknown how long you will live, if given the opportunity. Having such a small part of Fae blood, you might have lived to be well over 100 without too many human complications. With the spark you have an unknown amount of time. I take it, you have noticed that you are not aging as your brother is?"

"I thought that was from the vampire blood."

"It is both. The vampire blood keeps you vital for a time, but the spark is a part of your core."

"Jason and Dermot look the same age now."

"Yes, and Dermot is several centuries older but appears that of a thirty year old male. I believe something similar will happen to you. You will not live as long as Dermot but you will live much longer than a human, and age much slower, particularly if you continue to ingest the Viking's blood."

Now hold on just a minute. "I don't want to ingest his blood just to keep me young! Even though my senses are weaker I'm perfectly fine not taking his blood. I never wanted it to begin with. I hate that he could control me with it if he wanted to." I deflated some.

"I don't know how comfortable I am with the idea of living for centuries. Every supe I know has tried to use me, tried to guilt me, threaten me, torture me…I couldn't take that for centuries."

Niall gave me a sad look then. I think he was trying to give me good news. Possible centuries with your Viking. And as an added bonus, possible centuries where you can be used and manipulated. And lied to. And threatened. And used as leverage.

"I don't want to be used for my telepathy anymore, Great Grandfather. I like helping people when I can but these supes look at me like I'm a thing they can pass around. Or they say if I don't use my ability for them, they'll just kill anyone they think is involved, guilty or not. How am I supposed to deal with that on my conscious?" Tears were sliding down my cheeks.

Niall moved over to me and wrapped an arm around my shoulders to pull me close.

"How often has this happened?"

"Too many to count." More tears. That's just great. Just what I wanted to do after not seeing my Great Grandad in almost a year. "And now you tell me I might live for hundreds of years? Louisiana has been so dangerous and since the takeover by Felipe Eric is barely holding on to his area. Felipe's second in command, Victor, has tried to kill me half a dozen times already. He's trying every way he can to discredit Eric and if he dies, I'm going to end up in a pretty gilded cage in Las Vegas playing personal telepath to the vampire king of Nevada."

Niall lifted me chin with his forefinger to look me in the eyes. "My child, _that_ will never happen. I will make sure of it." I could see his true form then, peaking out from behind his human façade. A flash of the bright white light that he is and the ferocious warrior he has come to be over millennia, with dark eyes and sharp teeth. Then he was my Great Grandfather again.

"Now, tell me about these vampires."

And I did.

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**A/N: I think I there were enough hints about who she was waiting for in Sydney. **

**I hope you enjoyed the chapter.**

** Please remember to review. **


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Thank you everyone for the kind reviews on Chapter 6. Everyone seemed pretty positive with Niall showing up. I'd like to thank everyone who left reviews – I haven't had the chance to reply to them all this time around. Also big thanks for the alerts and/or favs. I'm up to 109 alerts now, which I think is pretty freakin cool considering I'm only up to chapter 7. **

**And look, two chapters in one week.**

**And onward to the Disclaimer: Charlaine Harris owns all characters. Don't sue me.**

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Chapter 7:

"_In sum, when in battle,_

_Use the orthodox to engage._

_Use the extraordinary to attain victory."_

– _Sun Tzu_

* * *

Niall knew of the takeover by Felipe de Castro, of course. He was, unfortunately, less informed about Felipe's second in command, ruthless and power hungry Victor Madden.

"Eric said something to me, when he told me why he couldn't come after me when Neave and Lochlan took me." I stopped to look at him. I wanted to be clear with my implications. I separated from him and sat to face my Great Grandfather. "He said, it was almost like Victor _knew _to be there, in Fangtasia. He bound Eric in silver to keep him from coming after me. He pretended he didn't believe Felipe promised me protection.

He also claimed he forgot about our marriage when Felipe spoke with him, except that Victor was in the room when it happened.

"Victor didn't want Eric involved in the Fae War no matter what happened to me. I think…I think he knew what was coming, and he came prepared for it."

Niall, in a very human gesture, cupped his own chin in his hand and rested a finger over his mouth. His brows were drawn together. "You suspect he allied himself with my late nephew's followers."

"I do."

"Have you any proof of this?" By the look on his face, I don't think he really cared.

"I have a theory," I stated confidently. "Victor knows I have some relation to the Fae and particularly you. I think he struck a deal with Breandan. By giving me to Breandan's twisted fairy buddies, he lured you into a conflict hoping you would lose. Victor knows you would side with Eric since you two have history and because of my relationship with him. I think he purposely kept Eric away in the hopes that I would be killed before I could be found and it would be done without getting his hands dirty. It would weaken Eric significantly. Had I died, I think he would have done something rash."

I waited, looking into his eyes to see if he was picking up what I was.

"In this plan, this Victor did not account for the other vampire's affection for you. The dark haired vampire disregarded several calls during our search. Did he know of your history?"

"I'm pretty sure he knew; if supe gossip spreads around the way it usually does." Plus he said he'd die for me right in front of Victor. I thought it wasn't very smart to say at the time.

"Breandan had been spotted in the human world before you were taken. I did find this odd at the time, considering his distaste for humans." His eyes driffed to the muted TV that was still on. I didn't know if I should continue or not. His face was grim and looked lost in thought. "Tell me more of your theory."

"Well, if Eric were out of the picture, he wouldn't be able to help you defeat Breandan or attempt to rise up against Victor. Breandan wanted to close the portals to Fairy leaving any allies Eric and I would have had there without a means to enter this realm. I think Victor and maybe Felipe too, fear what would happen if the fairies allied themselves with Eric. I think that in closing the portals, you gave Victor exactly what he wanted."

I think that about covers it.

"You believe closing the portals was a mistake," he said. Statement, not question.

"Why did you close the portals there, yet leave the one here open? Are the other ones in Europe open too?" It didn't really make sense to me why he would close some and not others.

"I have left only two portals open, one here, and one in Ireland. Most of my people do not know they remain open. I realized it was a necessity when it proved impossible to cut all the ties to the human world. We still have some organizations here. They have been too beneficial to the Fae to liquidate them."

"You mean like the company that made your gloves?"

"Amongst others."

Hmm. So the fairies have their fingers in a whole bunch of human world operations. I'll have to ponder that later on. "I don't want to question your judgment Great Grandfather. I know that you thought closing the portals would be in the best interests of protecting people but if I can be honest with you," I waited to see if he would respond. He nodded, "you've been played." He gave me a confused expression. "You were maneuvered into doing exactly what our enemies wanted." Yep. They were _our_ enemies.

"It would appear that way if your theory is correct," he stated, thoughtfully. "The information regarding this vampire is most intriguing. With the portals closed it would not be possible to come to your aide should you need me.

"Your vampire has not served you with adequate protection?"

I scoffed. "_My vampire_ is surrounded at all times by Victor's people. He has Eric backed into a corner. There's little he can do at the moment," I shrugged. "Everything he does is being watched. We don't get to spend much time together." I bit my lip. I had never seen Eric as stressed as he had been the past few months.

"Victor is doing everything he can to undermine and rile Eric up. After visiting him one night, Pam and I were stopped by two of Victor's people – his lieutenant and another. They tried to kill us on a side road. I killed Bruno, that's his lieutenant, with a silver knife. Pam killed Corinna. Victor can't say anything about it since; he couldn't inform the king two of his vampires were dead in an attempt to kill us."

"How old was this Bruno?"

"Um, I'm not really sure Pam is only about 200 but told me she could take him easily. I guess that means he's either younger than her or a really bad fighter."

"Still, you fought a being much stronger and deadlier than you and survived. You have an amazing level of courage. I am proud to call you my Great Granddaughter."

I fought to keep the blush from my face. I failed. Miserably. "Thank you," I mumbled.

"There is no need to be embarrassed, Sookie. Never be embarrassed for your bravery. Now tell me, I suspect this wasn't the first vampire you killed."

"No, it wasn't." I briefly recounted the staking of the bitch-ho, Lorena. I didn't think running my car over one counted. I informed him of the shifters who also died at my hand.

"My dear, having you as part of my blood line is truly an honor. You carry inside you a true spirit. I only regret not being able to locate you sooner. You make a beautiful daughter to the Fae."

Huh. What do you say to something like that? I couldn't think of anything, so I just leaned over and hugged him. It felt nice, the way he thought about me but I'm not so sure I like the implications of it.

I'd just confessed to killing a bunch of people and suddenly I'm a beautiful daughter to the Fae. I killed them before they could kill me. I wasn't sad I'd done it but the logic behind my Great Granddad's praise seemed…off.

I didn't have time to deal with that now. I would save it to deconstruct later. Right now, I still had things to say.

I spoke into his shoulder while he still hugged me. "There is more that I haven't told you yet." I looked up at him with slight tears in my eyes.

He moved back to his original position. "I think you have already convinced me that I will need to have a long conversation with this Victor Madden. But please, continue." The way he said 'conversation' sent a cold chill down my spine.

So I started to tell him about the fire.

xxx

I was just coming down from the most magnificent high I'd had in the past week. It had been a horrible week. It was a little over a month since I had the irrevocable pleasure of meeting Eric's extended family and seeing them meet their final death on my front lawn. Merlotte's had been firebombed by someone the previous week and I've since been having argument after argument with Eric over quitting my job.

The argument was fairly simple:

He says quit. It is too dangerous.

I say no.

Then we banter back and forth for an hour or so about it before one of us gets frustrated and storms out of the room. After the second day of arguing I told him to go back to Shreveport. I didn't want him in my house if he was going to argue with me all night.

So we argued over the phone. I usually ended up hanging up on him. Then he'd call and call until either I picked up or unplugged my phone. High-handed vampire refused to let me have the last word.

He was being overprotective. I told him so. He didn't disagree.

I knew he wasn't thrilled with me working at Merlotte's after those Fellowship zealots started showing up in droves of crazy. I wasn't very popular with the Fellowship of the Sun after the whole Dallas debacle. I imagine sometimes that if Steve Newlin had a hit list, I would be somewhere in the top five.

I had been harassed a few times in the parking lot but it was nothing I hadn't heard in spades before. I mean, one can only hear "fangbanging whore of Satan" and "traitor to the human race" so many times before it loses all meaning. I just couldn't look at these people as Christians.

They were still picketing from a distance even after the fire. The damage wasn't terrible. Sam had to close down for a while and I wasn't really sure if Eric wouldn't get his wish after all. Windows and scorched tables had to be replaced. There was a fair amount of smoke damage. I think Sam wanted to do some more renovations on top of just repairing. Some new place at opened and was starting to cause a dent in our clientele.

And so I found, at the end of the week, after the umpteenth argument with Eric about quitting that I let myself slip and told him I might not have a job to go back to. And that I had no idea what I was going to do if that happened. An hour later I found him knocking on my kitchen door. He was dressed in his usual jeans and a navy blue tee with a white print of a raven in a tree. His hair was smooth and loose around his shoulders.

He didn't say anything. He just stepped in and I closed the door behind him.

He was practically on top of me when I turned back around, towering over me. He moved a stray piece of hair that had fallen from my ponytail out of my face. I could feel the little tingle in myself that he brought out whenever he was near me start jumping around.

He leaned down and where I expected to meet his lips, he instead bypassed them to press his cheek against mine and whisper in my ear, "Do not be disheartened. I know you find something well suited to your abilities if you cannot work for the Shifter any longer." There was no satisfaction to his voice, no smugness or arrogance that he might get what he wanted after all, only confidence. I appreciated that.

Then he kissed me, long and deep and hard. He moved his tongue back and forth and around my mouth as if he was reclaiming territory. It battled mine in its forcefulness. His hands moved down to grab my waist and lift me up so there was no height difference between us. His mouth never left mine. I moved my tongue over those sensitive fangs of his, slowly at first, tentatively and then more forcefully, paying attention to each one of his fangs with equal measure.

It seemed like hours before I came up for air again and found myself being spooned by Eric as he drew lazy circles around my breasts. When I finally looked at the clock by my bedside, I realized there was only an hour left before dawn. I knew Claude was upstairs because I could sense his brain sleeping. I had no idea when he had arrived.

I was sore in almost every spot I could imagine but it was a fantastically wonderful kind of sore. Eric kissed every part of my body that I told him was sore, from my lips to my toes.

"Lover, is there any part of you that isn't sore?"

It took me a moment before I could think of something. "Here," I said, pointing to my elbow. He moved his long body down to kiss it.

"Anywhere else," he asked with a cocky grin.

"Here." I pointed to my wrist. Yeah, I knew were this was going. I'd seen Indiana Jones.

"Perhaps we should engage in makeup sex more often," he stated, locking his eyes with mine and exposing his fangs, before kissing my wrist.

Was this makeup sex? Humph.

"This isn't sore either," I gave him my middle finger.

He chuckled loudly. Then before I could react, he had popped my finger in his mouth and began sucking on it. He gripped my wrist when I tried to pull it back. He made suggestive up and down motions on my finger while he locked his eyes with mine. He licked it slowly, up and down while my insides shot little sparks from my center to my toes and from my toes to my fingers. He continued to nip and lick and suck my finger and I tried unsuccessfully to stifle a moan when he moved his other hand inside me. I gripped the hair at the nape of his neck hard with my free hand and held on.

Without even thinking about it, I closed my eyes to concentrate on the sensations he was giving me. Lick. Suck. Pull. Twitch. Thrust. Cicero!

My eyes popped back open to focus on his.

I reached my final orgasm for the night with a crescendo.

We lay there, spent in each other for a moment. I knew he had to go soon. Dawn was maybe fifteen minutes away and I could tell he was starting to feel lethargic. I felt bad that I could return the gift he'd given me just now. There just wasn't enough time.

He was lying on his side with his elbow propped up. The muscles in his shoulder and bicep flexed beautifully and the motion caused his obliques to elongate.

I moved my hand to his torso and traced the lines the muscles formed along his stomach. "I hate to break the mood after our wonderful and unexpected makeup sex…" I glanced at his eyes and they were focused on me intently. "There are some things I want to talk to you about. Will you have time tomorrow?"

"I will make time." He cupped my face with his hand and brought my lips up to meet his. It was quick, fiery and passionate and he didn't want to let go. Only reluctantly did he pull away as he felt the sun begin to rise.

"Good morning." It was the last thing he said before going to the hidey hole in the other room.

I woke up with my body wailing at me. My bladder seemed to have its own brain and was prodding at me to get up. I glanced at my clock. It was nine-seventeen in the morning. I'd been a sleep for a little over three hours. I felt the draft from my window and realized I'd fallen asleep exactly the way Eric left me: completely naked. I got up to get a pair of pajama shorts and a tank from my dresser, and then went to my bathroom.

It was a good thing I did.

As I was washing my hands I jumped at the sound of glass breaking. I ran out of my bathroom thinking Claude was up and broke something. I'd kill him if he shattered my coffee pot.

The smoke alarm in the kitchen started blaring. I gasped at the suddenness of the sound pounding my ears. My heart was thumping and I could feel the adrenaline that was coursing through me as I rounded the kitchen.

I had just enough time to register the snarling brain with my shields dropped as something else came flying through the kitchen window, lighting part of the wall on fire.

I screamed. I looked out through the broken window. The body of a Were was moving away from the window. He had his back to me. But his brain was front and center.

_Burn and grab. Plant the other chick. _

The first thing they threw landed on the kitchen table and set the kitchen curtains on fire in the process. Smoke was quickly filling the room.

What the fuck was a Were doing here? I dropped my shields completely and counted.

Twelve. Twelve snarly brains. Motherfuck –

Another crash. I backed out of the room. It sounded like it was coming from the living room this time.

I turned around to face the living room. The couch was on fire and a trail of flames had made its way across one of the area rugs. There was broken glass all over and I wasn't wearing shoes. A huge cloud of smoke had filled the ceiling.

I started coughing and choking. The air was being sucked out of the room. I backed out toward my room to grab my cell.

"Sookie!" It was Claude. He was at the top of the steps in a pair of boxers. I had just enough time to register his near nakedness when I remembered –

Eric! Eric's sleeping in the hidey hole. _Shit!_

I can't lift him out by myself.

The smoke was starting to filter up to the second floor.

"Claude, get down here! Quick! Everything's on fire!"

I ran back into my bedroom to grab my purse where I had left my cell last night. I quickly pulled it over my head, just as something came flying through the window of my room. It crashed right into the mirror over the bureau, shattering it. I screamed again and ran out as the fire started causing my perfume bottles to explode.

I crouched in the hallway to avoid the increasing smoke. I could barely see through the black fog. I crouch walked to the second bedroom where Eric was sleeping. The adrenaline in my body at this point was the only thing keeping me going.

"Sookie! Where are you," Claude yelled.

"Second bedroom," I scream-coughed. I hoped he could hear me.

The second bedroom didn't have anything thrown through it – yet. The window was already shut and I quickly shut the heavy curtains for the room. To think I had bought them with Bill in mind.

I opened the hatch to the hidey hole. Eric was in there, all dead to the world like nothing was going on. Would he wake if he caught fire? Would he feel it during the day?

He looked so peaceful lying there. Like the house wasn't burning down around him.

"Sookie! Come on, we have to get out of here!" Claude was standing in the doorway.

"Claude, help me. We have to get Eric out of here!"

He went over to the bed and together we pulled the sheets and blanket off.

"Wait! We can't get him to the car. There are wolves outside. They started the fire." I hadn't realized I put my shields back up, so I dropped them again.

Suddenly, snarly brain thoughts were coming, in bits and pieces:

_Running out soon – _

_Said make sure the vamp burns – _

_In the Cad 'til night for the trade off – _

_I don't want to drive to New Orleans – _

_God it's fucking humid today._

_Easy money for a roast – _

The image of one of Victor's vampires appeared in the mind of one of the wolves. I only recognized him because he had been in Fangtasia the last time I was there. He had darker skin – some kind of mixed race, I thought then, and cropped but wavy dark hair, dark eyes and an angular nose.

"Don't worry cousin. Have you forgotten that I can pop us out?"

Oh holy shit, _YES!_ I stared at him before breaking out in my crazy thousand watt smile.

"Claude, remind me later to apologize to you for all the times I called you a selfish asshole when you weren't around."

"There is no need. I am a selfish asshole most of the time." He smiled back as we lifted Eric's dead weight out of the hidey hole.

Smoke had started trickling in while we were stripping the bed.

"Make sure he's fully covered. Don't leave even an inch exposed." I was frantic. I could not have Eric survive a fire, only to be burned up by the sun.

"Where do you want to take him," he said when we finished wrapping him up.

"Your place? In Monroe? No one would think to look for us there."

"You want me to take a vampire into my house? Are you insane, cousin?"

"Claude! There's nowhere else right now. In case you haven't noticed, times a'wastin! He'll leave with me at first dark, ok?"

I could have sworn later I heard him mumble, "He better." Then louder he said, "Dermot is there…entertaining someone."

Oh. Well, too bad for Dermot this time.

"Grab my hand and hold on to your boyfriend!" I did. Claude put an arm over Eric's shoulders to get a good hold on him.

Suddenly there was a loud whoosh sound and my ears popped like I was in an airplane and then we were in Claude's living room.

I was still clasping Eric's sleeping self, Claude's hand and breathing heavily. I'm not sure how much time had passed. It felt like an hour but couldn't have been more than a minute or two.

I started taking ragged breaths of clean air. Then I looked back at Claude.

"I have to go back." I had to call the fire department. I couldn't know there was a fire at my house and not be there. That would be too weird to explain.

"Sookie, you can't. You said there were wolves outside. Obviously they were waiting for you to run out of the house. They will take you if you return."

"No. Not if I call the police first. They'll send the fire department and there will be too many people. We can pop back in a few minutes, if we time it right, just as the trucks pull up." That is, of course, if we timed it right.

"There is too much chance. I don't like it."

"Gahh. Claude, I can't call them and say there's a fire at my house and not be there to witness it! How can I explain that without being the suspect of an arson investigation?"

He sighed, "Very well. I don't like it. If I see a single wolf I am popping us right back here. You will hold on to me the entire time if we should have to exit quickly."

I could live with that. "Okay."

I called the police. "Ok, we should have maybe five minutes before the fire department arrives. Where can we put him," I said, pointing to Eric. Right now we were near way too many windows with sunlight coming in.

"He will have to stay in Claudine's room," he said quietly. This was the first time I'd heard sadness coming from him since he showed up to ask me about Claudine's passing.

I felt it too – the sadness. It reminded me of her – this fire. She wasn't here to save me this time. But her brother was. I knew Claudine would be happy to know that. Wherever she was. "Do you have anything to block the windows," I asked quietly.

"Yes. Come." He crouched over Eric's head and grabbed the blanket by his shoulders. "Take his feet." Together, we lifted him into Claudine's room and onto her bed.

I closed the curtains quickly and Claude left to get something for the window. He came back a minute later with a large and heavy quilt and duct tape. We made quick work of securing the quilt in its place. I uncovered Eric then. Any light that was coming from the door was minimal and indirect. It wouldn't hurt him. There was only a faint drop of soot on his face. Claude and I looked much worse.

We left him on the bed and closed the door behind us. Claude grabbed a towel from the bathroom and placed it outside the door where the crack is between the floor and door.

"We need to go back now," I told him.

He nodded.

A woosh and ear pop and we were standing at the end of my driveway. I could hear the blaring of the fire trucks coming down Hummingbird Lane.

The snarling brains were gone. They must have heard the sirens. And there we were – me in pink pajama shorts and matching tank top and my model of a cousin in boxers, both of us covered in soot and dirt and watching my family home go up in smoke.

As if the town didn't have enough to say about me.

xxx

I recounted the story to Niall, leaving out the sexy parts and explained how I figured out the wolves were there on Victor's orders and threw Molotov cocktails through my windows to get me out of the house so they could take me to his "special place" in New Orleans. Yeah, it was "special" alright.

"What happened to the wolves," he asked.

"Eric and Pam and a few others enjoyed tracking them down." With relish. I shuttered. "They brought only five of them back to Fangtasia."

"I see. And you were able to gather further information?"

"Yes. It was more difficult since they weren't human but that's how I was able to say for sure that it was Victor behind the attack. He was paying the group a hundred thousand dollars to set my house on fire, kill Eric, take me and bring me to NOLA." I didn't say anything on the sorry state the remaining Weres were in when Eric asked me to read them. I also didn't want to linger on what they hand in mind for me during the six hour drive.

Suddenly, I wanted a shower.

I told him what I did on my own to reciprocate. Technically I wasn't on my own. Amelia helped craft it but I was still the one walking into the lion's den. Not even Eric knew about it even though he was there.

"The two of you work very well together," he stated. As if it was a simple fact.

Huh? "You mean me and Eric or me and Amelia?"

"You and Eric. You are both more similar than either of you realize." He smiled faintly at me.

"Sometimes." That was the best I could come up with. I knew Eric _got me. _He had that certain sense of honor and pride and bravery and humor that I loved about him. It made me want to just wrap myself around him.

Then other times I just wanted to punch him in the face for being an asshole.

Niall didn't ask what happened to the remaining Weres. I think we both could use our imagination on that one.

"You have given me much to think over, child. What would you like to see happen to this Victor?"

I smiled. Yes, I smiled at the thoughts I had planned for Victor. This was part of what coming here had all been about. This was the opening I was waiting for.

I leaned forward and explained what I wanted to do in detail. My Great Grandfather smiled back at me when he heard it all. I had to sit back then, a little in shock. The smile he gave me was just frightening – almost menacing. I'm beginning to wonder if I've let all these supes corrupt me. I didn't feel guilty about what we were planning for Victor.

He has it coming.

"I'm afraid it's getting late, dear one. I don't want to keep you from your rest. I should go and begin our preparations." He started to get up.

"Wait, please. There is one other thing I would like to ask you before you go."

He leaned back into the sofa again and made a "go on" gesture with his hand.

"Do you know any others," I stopped. This was going to be awkward, "like me? You know, other…telepaths."

"I know that there some around the world. It's a rare gift but it is out there. Only a few have remained sane, I'm afraid. Why do you ask?"

"Do you think there is anyone out there who might be stronger than me? Some who can better read supes, for example?" Or vampires. Not that I really wanted to go reading vampires. That was just an easy route to a quick death.

"An interesting question. I would have to make some inquiries. Is that something you desire? To find a telepath better than you?"

Hmm. How to answer that. "I think that I want to know my limits. My telepathy and shielding have improved with a lot of practice and with vampire blood. I guess I just wonder if someone's found a way to shield that's less difficult than my own way. My shielding takes a lot out of me. I guess I would also be curious to know if I could read Weres better." It would certainly help, given my history with the two natured.

"Yes, I can see how being fully cognizant of Were thoughts would be to your advantage. For now, I can make my inquiries. If I find anything, of course, I will let you know."

Phew. Well that was easy enough.

"Thank you so much, Great Grandfather. You really are doing a lot for me. I don't know how I will ever repay you for it." Really I didn't. I didn't want imagine favors owed to a fairy prince.

"Think nothing of it, child. Had you not told me your plans for the Vampire, I would have my lieutenant seeking him out once I departed from your company." He was smiling jovially at me like he hadn't just said he was going to organize a vamp hunt. "As for the telepath, I would do it because it would make your life easier."

He stood up to leave.

I went up to him and pulled him into me so that I was hugging him with all my strength and my arms were wrapped around him. "Thank you." A silent tear crept down my cheek. "No one has ever done anything to make my life easier. Not since Gran. She was the only one to ever try." Nothing with Eric ever made my life easy.

I walked him to the door.

"Here," he said, pulling out a business card. "My direct number, should you need it."

"Oh! Thanks," I said taking the card. "Wait, let me give you the number I have for here." I ran to the kitchen for a pen and scribbled the number down on a receipt before handing it to him.

"Good night, Great Granddaughter. Sleep well." Then he was gone with a _pop. _

Talk about an exit.

I made my way over to my bed and flopped down on it.

Some night.

It was the last thought I had before fading out for the night.

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**A/N: Well, I hope everyone enjoyed Niall's visit. **

**Surprised with the little bit of lemon, anyone? **

**Another mystery answered. **

**We will see how Eric deals with Sookie's house being set on fire with them in it – and his fun with the wolves. Eventually.**

**Don't forget to review!**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: I know, I know, it took a really long time to get this chapter up. Between the holiday and some other things, the creative juices just weren't flowing like they have been for this chapter. It has a more somber note. The next one will be up much sooner. I'm also looking for a beta, so if anyone is interested or knows anyone, feel free to send me a PM. **

**Disclaimer: Characters belong to Charlaine Harris**

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Chapter 8:

"_A girl calls and asks, 'Does it hurt very much to die?'_

"_Well, sweetheart, I tell her, yes, but it hurts much more to keep living."_

_- Chuck Palahniuk, _Survivor

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November 2nd

This morning there was a faint smile on my face when I woke. I had been so worried that Niall didn't know I was here or how to find me once I got here. It was a big relief to know neither was true. I had no way of telling him my address of course, since I didn't even know what it would be when I got here. I guess I just relied on him finding me the way all other supes seem to.

Supe lojack. I start laughing at the absurdity. But thinking about all those spy shows now, it wouldn't be impossible…

Ugg. So not going there before I even get my first coffee.

Today is my day off. That means I get to be just a bit lazier. Since coming here I've realized just how much time is spent tending to such a big house and yard. There aren't many rooms here to clean or things to polish. Sure, laundry was still a chore but it was so habitual that it hardly felt like anything. Plus multitasking was the key to having it all done in record time. And with no yard work to worry about, that meant more free time for me. I do hope that Claude was looking after the place though. I know Jason would forget almost as soon as I tell him and I really didn't want to ask Sam even though he might have done it – it just wasn't his responsibility. As least if Claude was going to stay there, he could help out around the place.

The feeling was different from when I lived in one of Sam's rentals. There wasn't anything wrong with Sam's rentals but it just didn't feel right. It felt like a rental space – which it was, technically, but it was a space of last resort. It had been great not having to share or impose on anyone in Bon Temps despite all the offers for places to stay. But I still had all the responsibilities and obligations that came with being in Bon Temps. I also still had the responsibilities to deal with from Charles Twinning setting my house on fire.

Really, this setting my house on fire thing has got to stop. Once was bad enough. Then Merlotte's and then my place, _again;_ these supes must have some good insurance for their own homes if they're so ready to start fires.

While frying some eggs and making some toast with my new frying pan and toaster for breakfast I realized this is the longest I've ever spent in a city. And hot damn if it didn't build my shields to force field levels. I haven't explored as much as a normal tourist would, mostly because there are too many thoughts going on that even with my shields as strong as they are, my concentration takes all my focus. Instead, I relegated myself to areas where I found people speaking other languages the most or where there were always street performances. That's something I've really come to enjoy from the city – the street performers. Most of the people are so focused on what's going on they aren't thinking about much else. Actually, I caught two pick pockets because of that.

There never was much to do in Bon Temps besides going to Merlotte's, playing sports and going to the library. Shreveport has its share of shopping and some nice museums and performing arts centers but they usually required time and money that wasn't there. Most of the museums I visited when I was in school and they weren't likely to change much anyway. I made a promise to myself that once I got my first paycheck, I would treat myself to a show at the Sydney Opera House. I haven't been going into any of the paid attractions since I got here and if there was at least one that I would spend money on, I heard it was there.

But until then…the beach it was. And such a shame really; the sun to lie out under, the sand between my toes, and the waves of blue water…the surfers to ogle. After breakfast and a quick shower (since I'd be showering the sand off me later) I headed out for my walk to the beach with my towel, sun block and glasses, a book and a little sandwich for later. I had on a cute little bikini that had a vibrant floral pattern of coral, pink, blue, white and green with a tiered ruffle trim at the top with a halter back. The bottom was ruffled and low rise to match. Since I was so close to the beach, all I covered it up with was a simple jersey halter cover up dress with an open back and fringed hem in royal blue. Perfect beachwear.

The thing about going to the beach, even though there were always a lot of people milling around, was all the time it gave me to stop and think. And I had a lot to think about today.

I set up my towel and got out my sun block. I had heard from the staff that the sun was stronger here than in other parts of the world and they encouraged me to get something with a high SPF. I might love the sun – even with all the risks, but I could still follow precautions. After making sure I was all covered, I got my book out and put my bag underneath my head as a pillow. I was surprised when I found out that the hotel has a whole room full of things left over by guests of the hotel. The staff was free to take whatever they wanted of the valuables if a month had gone by and no one called to claim something. Most of the stuff was small. Lots of sunglasses and beach towels, flip flops, occasionally jewelry, clothes that probably didn't fit back in the suitcase, half drunk bottles of liquor, juice and soda, phone chargers, partially used or sometimes full bottles of shampoo, conditioner, body wash and toothpaste and books. Lots of books. Left over underwear got tossed immediately. After a few days working there my apartment was fully stocked with shampoos and conditioners and towels. I couldn't believe someone forgot a pair of Dior sunglasses. I didn't want to take them, thinking someone would call about them but Abigail encouraged me to go for it. She told me it was rare for someone to ever call about forgotten items unless it was something like an engagement or wedding ring. She told me if I didn't take the sunglasses, she would and nothing in her mind told me she'd feel guilty about it. Someone left them there. Her mind said _finders keepers. _

Most of the things found were gone quickly – taken by staff members. Books weren't so quick to go. I guess even here there weren't a whole lot of big readers on staff. I wound up taking back a bigger collection of books to my apartment than I had in Bon Temps. Granted a large portion of the books were travel related but there were also plenty of novels and non-fiction works. That's how I found what I was reading now, _The Count of Monte Cristo._ Normally it wouldn't be something I'd find myself reaching for but there was something about the plot and Edmond's character that struck me. Love, betrayal, revenge…yeah, it sounded vaguely familiar.

Although I don't know that I would go as far as Edmond did in his quest for revenge.

Then again, he didn't have a fairy prince for a great-grandfather willing to write a letter on the skin of his enemy.

Niall had given me some serious food for thought. I thought that I'd just be dealing with the Victor situation but oh, no – there just had to be more. Talk about a damn bombshell.

It seems to me human-fairy hybrids don't last long in the supernatural world. Whether they're being eaten by vampires for being so tasty or being hunted down by xenophobic full fairies, something just seems to always find them. Poor Jason even, of all the people to fall for and he picks a were-panther with a crazy relative who decides to turn him.

Not even Niall knows what to expect from me. There just doesn't seem to be enough of us alive who can manage to stay alive. Hell, even I've had some trouble with it. Well, a lot of trouble with it. And it would seem that I'm actually winning the whole staying alive battle, considering I am still alive. Fintan is gone, Dermot went crazy for a while, my father (who as it turns out was just like Jason in the attracting people department) and mother were killed by water fairies, the fairy genes couldn't do anything to save Aunt Linda from breast cancer and…well, Jason's fairiness showed by attracting him to a pack of were-panthers. And me? Ha. Vampires and Shifters and Fairies, oh my. I burst out in a fit of laughter. The couple on beach chairs a few feet away from me gave me a strange "what's wrong with her," look.

Pretty much every supe I've encountered so far has either wanted to drain me, use me or fuck me; not necessarily in that order. I wonder if this fairiness hasn't brought more trouble than it's worth.

The fact that Niall doesn't know enough about what will happen to me bugs me. He's at least a thousand years old. He should have some idea. The fact that he says he doesn't makes me question his motives in all this. He hasn't done anything to give me a reason to but all the same…he would never have contacted me if I didn't have this "spark" of his. Even he's guilty of some of the bias the other fairies have. Jason's his kin too and he wants nothing to do with him. But because I have it, that makes me somehow better in his eyes. By right, if what Niall said is true, I really shouldn't have it. Being one-eighth Fae means having the so-called spark is rare. Rarer than rare, even. And yet…I have it.

I've lived most of my life expecting nothing special to happen. Now, suddenly I get a bombed dropped that says I might have something more than just telepathy in my future. Like living for centuries. Centuries! How can a girl from Bon Temps even wrap her mind around something like that? I knew after meeting Bill that I never wanted to become a vampire. There was just too much violence in that world. Pam is barely 200 and she's already detached from so many of her human emotions. Wouldn't you have to be in a world so filled with violence?

The fact that Eric and Pam can so nonchalantly talk about torture or not so much as bat an eyelash at a bunch of dead humans can only attest to how much of it they've witnessed themselves or partaken in – or been the subject of. That was a sobering thought. How many ways could a person deal with something like that if it was, not day to day, but and occurrence that's become normal? If detachment is what it takes to survive that length of time…no. I could never fully enter the vampire world.

I know the talk with Eric will come eventually. I already told him that I don't want to be a vampire. I know he would never turn me without my permission. But that doesn't mean he won't ask me at some point. And I can feel that he is going to someday soon. I can't make that kind of decision just for him. It might make me stronger and faster but with everything it means to exist in the vampire world there are too many things to give up. Could I give up my life and time in the sun for him? I don't think it's selfish to say no. My life has changed so much because of him already. He's been alive for a thousand years and survived perfectly well without me. He would continue to do so after I was gone. And even if he did turn me, from everything I've learned about vampires, children don't stay with their makers for very long. If Eric was my maker he would always have power over me. He could command me if he wanted to or call me like he's done with Pam. Any freedom – as little as it is now, would be gone as a vampire, unless he died. I would never want that but it's the only way a vampire can be truly free of his or her maker. I know he's a good maker. Pam is proof of that but I wonder if I wouldn't end up just like her in 200 years if I became a vampire. I also don't want to come to resent him for turning me.

But with everything Niall's just laid in my lap I went from having maybe 60 more years to potential centuries. So now I have the sun and what could be generations of lifetimes ahead of me – assuming of course, no one succeeds in their attempts to kill me. Since my introduction to the supernatural world, I've almost died more times than I would even care to count. Adding centuries to my already shortened lifespan is like multiplying my death warrant by a power of a hundred. I can't let myself be under the thumbs of vampires that entire time. Even Eric's put me in more dangerous situations than I care to remember before we bonded. Well, there were a few situations after but circumstances were somewhat different.

If I really do have centuries added to my lifetime something is going to have to be done about all this vampire business. But I can save that to worry about later. It's clear though that much of that time is going to in some way find itself in supernatural business. And that ain't no walk in the park. I know I'm different now because of it. Not just because of…certain moments but from everything I've learned and seen and have come to accept as normal when dealing with vampires and shifters and fairies, oh and witches. If I was this changed in two and half years, how different would I be in a hundred, or two or three hundred years from now? Fairies certainly don't have any qualms about killing people. Claudine and Claude were really the only two who didn't seem to have any desire to kill things. But that didn't make them hesitate to do it when they needed to. Niall certainly doesn't have a problem with killing.

But he does love. He does care about some things, like his human wife and his children…sort of. He has a level of respect for humans' ability to create technology. He seems to have some level of respect for Eric. Somehow I can't see that expanding to all vampires. At the same time, he can be cold and completely ruthless. That's not something I want happening to me. Yet I can't help feeling it's the direction I'm moving in. If things work out with Victor, I'll have another death at my feet. Nothing in me is sorry about seeing him meet his final death. Niall, it seems is so content with the whole killing thing that he was actually praising me for it. Apparently being a true daughter of the Fae equals killing a bunch of vampires and the occasional Were.

If those are my feelings in under three years of dealing with the supernatural, what would be left of the me that Gran rose after everyone I know is dust in the wind and the only people I still know are fairies and vampires? Would I even want to know that me? Would Eric?

Once he finds out about my extended life line, it won't be long before other vampires do to – and then what? Vampires are still going to try and use me in one way or another and if Eric's not around, who is going to stop them? Niall's got his own problems and can't always be around. Eric's already been in a whole mess of close calls in the short time I've known him and the odds of things being in his favor won't last forever.

However, I can still enjoy the time I have with him. It won't all be doom and gloom. At least the aging process will take a back seat and it will be a long while yet before my hair turns white and I start looking like Eric's grandmother. That is something quite positive. I will get to see how the world changes. Human beings have come so far in the last hundred years. I might just get to witness the next hundred with still virile eyes.

I smiled at that and flipped over onto my stomach so that my back will get some sun.

Niall didn't exactly spell out what else might happen in that time. We both new telepathy wasn't a fairy trait but wherever it was coming from, it's getting stronger. I won't ever admit to Niall my occasional hearing of vampire thoughts. As much as it might get me killed in the vampire world; it may just as easily make me a unique asset to their enemies (or frenemies) the fairies. I need to know if there is someone out there who can read vampire thoughts, if it's actually possible or if it's just all the vampire blood I've had. Reading vampires is the last thing in the world I want to do but if I can find away to shield it and deal with the likes of vampires like Victor, it might just be for the best to know.

I know the fairies have a lot of magic to them; that's fairly obvious, but aside from masking their scent and teleporting, I don't really know what else they can do. I don't know if I can deal with developing any more fairy traits.

Suddenly I felt quite exposed at that idea. There were probably a whole slew of things fairies could do that I didn't know about and I was sitting here wide open and exposed with an open portal nearby and only one person who knows where I am. Most of Breandan's followers were caught. Which means there were still some out there, somewhere.

Abruptly I sat up to look around. Everything looked normal. Families and couples and friends were all over the beach in scattered groups. A few surfers were out in the water and there were a handful of kids playing with boogie boards in the shallow waters. I lowered my shields and immediately I'm thrown by the sheer number of thoughts surrounding me. Breathing evenly to calm myself, I force my mind to shift through the mess of thoughts for anything out of the ordinary. There's nothing. The only thing supernatural on the beach is a teenage shifter looking out to the water about fifty yards away. My head starts aching before I can raise my shields up again and lay back down on my stomach.

I'm being ridiculous; no one knows I'm here. The only fairy that knows I'm here is Niall. And Niall would never lead danger to my doorstep…again. I think I'll just stop at the supermarket on the way home. I'm out of lemon juice.

At least this time being surrounded my people could work to my advantage. The isolation my house afforded me also afforded room for several would-be attackers. You can't sneak up on someone in a well lit apartment hallway. And the hotel parking lot was well lit and had security cameras. One too many things I've noticed have had fun sneaking up or waiting for me in the Merlotte's parking lot. It's actually kind of nice not worrying about being snuck up on in the parking lot or being watched by Bill or Bubba from my woods. Or finding my friend broken on the side of the road.

Still, I can't help but feel I'm only delaying the inevitable. Looking out at the people in the water swimming and surfing, they all look like they're having so much fun. Right now, in this moment, there is nothing for them but the sun and water and their time in it. I can hear it in their thoughts. Contentment. It would be so nice to have that right now. I might only be working at the hotel a few weeks but I really enjoy it. Even on the days where the guests are rude, they are never as harsh as hearing a drunken Alcee Beck or hate spewing member of the Fellowship. No one's called me crazy once. I haven't had to worry about paying for gas or fixing my car. I can walk anywhere I want if I want to. The water heater doesn't have to be maintained by me. No worrying about the costs of True Blood. No attempted coups or assassination attempts. No wondering if my feelings are mine or Eric's, as our bond fades out. I don't know if it will disappear completely or not but now is as good a time as any to find out. Hopefully by tomorrow, I will still have a good relationship with Nicki.

I could get used to this.

But I know it won't last forever.

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**A/N: I hope you enjoyed this reflective chapter into Sookie's thoughts. Please remember to review and leave some of your own. **

**Chapter 9: Sookie meets a new telepath. **


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: I would just like to thank everyone right now who has taken the time to favorite, comment, critique and alert my story. I would particularly like to thank those of you who have taken the time to comment on each chapter as it comes out. You know who you are and I thank you. As a writer here, we all want to know what our readers think. Always. I try to reply to all of them if I can.**

**And hey Dead Reckoning is right around the corner. I will try to get a chapter up before then but if not there might be a brief delay in posting in order to enjoy Mrs. Harris' latest work.**

**Disclaimer: Sookie, Niall and Eric and Pam belong to Charlaine Harris.**

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Chapter 9:

"_I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I've ended up where I needed to be." – Douglas Adams_

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November 3rd

"So I'm sitting there on the bed thing in the office filling out this donation form before the doc comes in – it's one of those forms, you know, what do you want to give away if you die. And I sat there for a good long while trying to decide what to give away, since, you know, I'll be dead and I won't need it," said Steven before pausing. Steven who works the front desk, Abigail and her friend from HR, Martin and I were all sitting in the hotel bar having what they referred to as "a pint." More like a dozen.

"What took you so long to decide, if you're gonna be dead," asked Martin.

"Well, there was a check list – liver, heart, lungs, kidney but I had to stop at the eyes. I was very concerned."

We all started giggling at that. "Wait, wait," Abigail started, "Ok, tell us, why would you not want to give away you eyes?"

"Well, I know a lot of people don't believe this but what if there's some kinda afterlife when we die?"

"What's that gotta do with donating eyes," I interrupt. I can start to see his mind formulating his thoughts. Oh, Lord.

"Well if there is an afterlife, I don't want to be running around for all eternity with no eyes, do I?"

We all burst out laughing. It can't be helped. After about thirty seconds it starts subsiding, only to kick back up again when we see how serious he looks.

"Ok," Martin picks up in between panting laughter, "what makes you think that donating eyes is going to make you eyeless in the afterlife?" He can't stop snickering through his question.

"And what makes you want your eyes more than your heart or your liver or lungs," I ask. "They're all kind of important." I sip my pint, which Abigail ordered, since I know nothing of Australian beers. She said this one is some kind of Renaissance Porter. Whatever that means.

"Well, you're dead. You don't need them. What would you use 'em for, right," he states, completely straight-faced, before taking a swig of his pint.

"Maybe we should ask a vampire," says Abigail.

"I'm sure vampires would prefer not have a place were they can be staked," I mumble.

They all turn to stare at me.

"What?" I stare back. "It's true. A vampire's heart is one of its only weaknesses."

"You know a lot of vampires 'Bina," asks Martin, with a curious expression.

"It's common knowledge back home." Time to deflect. "So Steven, you think you're gonna need your eyes in the afterlife? What makes you think you wouldn't just go there whole?" I try to stifle a laugh as I say it. This is too ridiculous.

"Well I don't want to be dead and blind in the afterlife, do I? Who wants to go walking into things for all eternity?"

No one holds back their laughter. Oh, sweet Jesus almighty.

"What a brilliant image!"

"Wait, wait, so would you at least get a walking stick in the afterlife," asks Abigail.

"That would be a nice concession," I snicker. "But I don't get it. How are you…surviving in the afterlife with no heart but yet you're worried about the eyes?"

"Yeah, and if you're dead in this afterlife, or whatever, why would you need anything? It's the afterlife; certainly you would have everything already," Martin counters.

"Well, when you die, you're always in the last condition you were in when you die, you know?"

"No," we all say in unison.

He sighs, "Well, say someone dies some horrible death, like um…getting shot in the face, they go off to the afterlife like that. A totally bloody mess, right?"

"But they're still moving around in the afterlife," I say. "They're not bumping into anything." Where was I going with this? "They're there…existing."

"Well if the eyes are intact, they're not – "

"Now hold off," Abby jumps in, "in this afterlife of yours, the dead person's got its face shot off, so you can presume that it doesn't need its face to begin with, including the eyes."

"The dead person is always the way they were in their last bits of life, forever."

"Yeah, if you're a vampire, and if you got hurt as a human and you were turned, then you'd be healed." Unless something went wrong. Then you got Bubba. "But we're not talkin' vamps. We're talking about people in the afterlife, or ghosts, or whatever," I state.

"Who made up these rules on the afterlife anyway," asks Martin.

"Well, if a vampire had injuries when they were human, wouldn't they still have 'em as a vamp? Same rules apply."

"No they don't." We say in unison again. Lord, we should form a team.

"A vamp is still walking around. You're talking about dead, dead. It's totally different," I argue.

"Ok, so let me see if I got this right. So if you die while you're say, in surgery, with you're chest all opened with clamps and whatnot, you're tellin' me that's how you're gonna stay for all eternity," asks Martin while trying to withhold a snort.

"Well, I suppose that would be a good reason not to have your eyes then."

I spit my beer out. I actually, for the first time in my life, spit out my beer while laughing. Abigail snorted hers up through her nose and was now alternating between laughing and coughing. Martin was leaning back in his chair grinning like a madman and shaking his head. My sides started to hurt from it.

After I finished my pint I made my excuses to get going. I was already out later than I had planned and even if no one knows me here, I still worry about staying out after dark. It was too tempting though, to stay and have drinks with some of the staff when they invited me. It wasn't that I was starving for companionship or anything, being as I didn't have many friends in Bon Temps but it was just so _nice_ being invited out for drinks like a normal person, to a _normal_ bar. Even if it happened to be a bar residing in my place of employment. As least that part seemed to stay the same. The discounted drinks are nice though.

Unfortunately, the more alcohol that got in me, the worse my shields got. It was quite the incentive to stay sober. With the last pint, I could feel my shields slipping even when I was trying to keep them at my highest. It was really starting to give me a migraine. So I made my excuses. We all had work tomorrow and I could tell from their thoughts that they'd be calling it in after another drink or two. Apparently Steven was like that anytime he drank. If for only that reason, I would enjoy going out with them again. I can't remember the last time I had laughed so hard. It was invigorating. There was very little in the past year to really laugh about.

I headed over to the employees lounge, which was a room behind the filing area that the reception desk used, to get my purse. I left it there knowing I was only going to the hotel's bar. Since there were so many on staff the lounge had numerous tables and chairs and small lockers for everyone to keep their personal affects in. I grabbed my purse out of my locker and began making my way back out to the front. It was in the staff area behind reception that I ran into Nicki.

"Hey Nicki," I said. I was unsure if there was still awkwardness between us. I really didn't want to find out just now considering the trouble I was having holding my shields together.

"Heyya. How was your day off," she asked with some mild curiosity. She was sitting at one of the computers with some type of Excel looking spreadsheet open.

"Great. Spent most of it at the beach, as usual." Having a beach nearby was such a wonderful bonus.

"I can tell," she said giving me a once over. "Your tan looks great."

I was practically brown at this point. And will the dark hair now, it really made my eyes pop.

Nicki made a sudden motion with her head, cocking to an odd angle. Her brows drew together, "Someone is asking for you out front."

"What?" I turned and looked out through the square window in the door to see what was going on. Trevor, one the reception people was there; he must have just started his shift while I was in the lounge. He was speaking with another man who had cropped, light golden brown hair and very pale skin with numerous freckles. He wasn't very tall, not much more than 5'9" but looked well muscled through his blue linen shirt.

I couldn't hear their conversation through the door but my shields were low enough that I was able to put my mental feelers out and stretch them right into a void. _Crap._ Trevor's head was foggy mess of glamour thanks to Freckles. He was showing Trevor a picture of me, I could see that part clearly, except I had much longer blonde hair in it and my tan was hardly there. He was having some trouble recognizing me through the glamour. Good.

Then Freckles had to go and say my name. Both of them. Even through the fog I could see his recognition at Sabrina's name. Luckily for me though, Trevor thought I had left already and said as much.

"Problem," Nicki asked with a skeptical voice.

I turned back to face her. "It's a vampire who's asking about me." She was eyeing me with a curious expression. As much as I was trying to block her I could feel some of her feelings slip into my mind. Curiosity was the main one.

"You have some history with vampires, I take it." She got up from her computer to look through the window. Then she turned back to me for confirmation.

"Yes." I had no intention of elaborating. "I would prefer if none knew where I worked."

"You do realize we have facilities to accommodate vampires, right?"

"I know that." Duh, of course I know that. That's what the 16th floor is for. "But if they were just asking for a room, why ask specifically for me?" Someone just visiting wouldn't ask for what I do.

Nicki looked back out the door where the vampire was still questioning Trevor. He was attempting to glamour him to get my personnel file with my address. "I will take care of the vampire. I do not want disturbances for the guests or my staff. Leave through the back," she said before stepping back and opening the door.

I stayed to watch Nicki take over speaking with Freckles, leaving Trevor to come out of the glamour on his own. I saw his nostrils flair as he took in her Were scent. She knew better than to look him in the eye and instead kept her focus on the reservation computer or the desk. He asked her about me and after hitting a wall with her answers, asked for a room for the next few days. I took that as my sign to high tail it out of there before he moves from the desk.

By the time I get home I'm panting from the near run. _At least I burned off the alcohol_, I thought. I had my hand cupped around a small silver butterfly knife that I started keeping with me when I got here.

Not ten minutes later, Nicki's name is lighting up my phone.

"Hello?"

"Sabrina, I don't know what's going on with you or why you have vampires asking for you. It's not my place to ask, however, I cannot have my staff in fear of any vampire guests." Shit. She's going to fire me now. "The vampire you saw has checked in as a guest at the hotel. Now I also cannot have him glamouring my staff into revealing your whereabouts," she paused, "so I have removed your file from employee records for the duration of his stay."

Huh? "Why would you do that?"

"While it is not illegal to glamour people, no one can actually prove its being done. I do not want him hypnotizing my staff during the night when neither of us is there into giving him your address. It would be…dangerous for a member of my staff should a vampire know where they live without their given consent."

Stunned.

"And since you clearly want nothing to do with vampires, this is the best solution."

"You're looking out for me?" I really had made a friend.

"I am. Now listen, you're hours are going to change starting tomorrow. Instead of ten, I want you in hear no later than eight-thirty and I want you out of the hotel by five for the next week. Is that clear?"

"As a window."

"Good. I'll see you tomorrow." Then she hung up.

I plopped down on the sofa and stared at the ceiling. I had a Were friend looking out for me. She knows nothing about me or what I can do and –

She didn't ask anything. Nothing about me or from me. This must be what it's like to not have expectations from people. I never thought Nicki would consider helping someone with vampire problems. Actually I never considered someone helping me before I had helped them. Someone was always asking me to do something for them and now without any preemption, someone did something for me.

While I was cooking dinner – wild rice with stir fried vegetables, I got a second unexpected phone call. This time from Niall.

"Great Granddaughter, I have had my people searching the realms these past few weeks they have finally come across what you requested."

Wait, weeks? "Another telepath? And what do you mean weeks? We spoke to each other two days ago."

"My dear, time works differently in the realms and yes, I have found another telepath. There should not be further discussion on it now. We will be arriving at your door in approximately one hour."

Well that was quick. "Oh. Okay."

Things were moving quickly now. Somehow a vampire found me. It couldn't have been the same vampire in the parking lot. They could have followed me then instead of trying to get my address from the hotel. And that other vamp – it doesn't add up if that vampire was looking for me, it found me so why ask for an address.

The possibility of different vampires looking for me struck then and it wasn't a welcome thought. I was becoming careless with my nighttime routine and if I really wanted to disappear, more effort would have been used. If anyone outside Eric or Pam found out too many things could end up falling apart. More so even than if just Eric and Pam found out.

But no one was getting into my apartment. And with the long days, getting home before dark wasn't even an issue. Unless I wanted to enjoy that social part of life I started.

Finding another telepath was integral. I needed to know about reading other supernaturals. There might have been some peace from the silence of vampire minds and the haziness of shifters but at the price of how many more beatings and shootings and near death experiences? If it can be controlled, I can still have my peace; and an advantage no one would expect. Hiding my disability now is impossible. Vampires know about it, shifters and fairies know about it – they all accept it and want to use it. I had never wanted to be in anyone else's thoughts before I got entangled with the supernatural.

The irony was not lost that the ones I should be reading could not be read.

Exactly one hour later there is a knock at my door.

"Good Evening, Great Granddaughter," Niall said. He was in what seemed to be normal attire for him; a three piece navy pinstripe suit with a white shirt. Standing with him was a man who appeared to be in his mid-thirties with cameral colored skin and shoulder length black hair that fell in waves around his head. He was tall; maybe six feet, but the most striking thing about him were his eyes. They were large and almond shaped and the most fantastic shade of green I had ever seen. He was dressed far more casually in a pair of fit, dark wash men's skinny jeans and a charcoal grey and black Henley shirt.

"Good Evening, Great Grandfather and Mr. …?"

"This is Enki Berg. Enki, this is my granddaughter, Sookie."

"Hello Sookie," he said while taking my hand lighting and giving it a small kiss. I got nothing from his mind. Absolutely nothing. It was like he wasn't even there. No void, no buzz, no haze, just…nothing.

My eyes went wide and he smiled. "Would you like to come in," I asked in a slightly awed voice.

After they got settled on the couch and I brought out some iced tea and cookies I took a seat in my chair opposite the couch and waited for them to tell me what was going on.

"Sookie, let me start my saying finding a telepath of Enki's caliber was not easy. Had it not been for my connections in the various realms outside here and Fairy, it would not have been possible." Is he trying to tell me I owe him one?

"Enki, perhaps you should explain from here," Niall states and turns to face Enki on the couch.

"Sookie, Niall has told me of your interest to work on your telepathy. I have to tell you that before anything else, you should consider the risks there." He stops here to look directly at me. "I was born here, in this realm approximately 400 years ago and I've had to spend most of my time in another realm to escape the threats posed to me here."

"Four hundred years? Are you a fairy too?" His thick hair hid his ears.

"No. I am half human, half elf. Elves come from a similar line to the fairies." I could hear Niall make a small snorting sound as he sipped his tea. "Like fairies though, telepathy does not run as an elfin trait, which means, somewhere in our genealogies, something of ours is from the same thing – human, supernatural or other, we both have that."

Well, now we're getting somewhere. "What threats have you had to escape from?" If they were anything like what I've been through I could _so_ understand.

"When I was a boy, I was raised in what is now Germany, close to the Swiss border. It was a tumultuous time then. There was a war between the Holy Roman Empire and the Protestants who lead the Reformation. Death and disease were everywhere. As a child, I overheard some villagers who were loyal to the empire and planning to slaughter the local leaders who were all of the Protestant faith. I wasn't listening to them _speak_, if you know what I mean." He raised an eyebrow at me.

Oh yes, I know what he means. I nod.

"So naturally, I did what any boy would do. I went and told my father. When I told him I heard it in their heads he looked at me like I was some sort of abomination. I thought it was a gift from God for being a faithful Christian." He looked down and shook his head from side to side before continuing. "I didn't know I was half elf at the time. My mother, who I later learned was a full elf had died a few years after my birth; I was never sure how. Somehow she had kept her secret from my father. I wasn't very old when I realized I had the ability to dip into peoples minds and see their innermost thoughts at work. Since the village was small and mostly agricultural, I didn't run into so many people that it became a problem at first. It took me a while to differ between the things they though and the things they said."

"Yes, I had the same problem growing up."

"So you can imagine the sort of reputation I started building amongst the other children?"

"Oh, yes. I can most definitely imagine that."

"It was lucky for me then that it was only the children who thought anything of it. If the adults had known right then I would have probably been burned at the stake." He shook his head.

It dawned on me then the type of lifestyle I would have led if I was born even as little as fifty years ago. Being born with this disability was hard enough but to be born with it in the middle of a religious war? "But you didn't think anything of it then, did you?"

"No. I just thought God had graced me. Since I didn't know about my elfin side, I didn't know that I was able to very easily build a wall to block their thoughts. I had assumed it was part of my gift."

Huh. Lucky him.

"Niall has told me you have not been so fortunate. It's something you have expressed interest in working on, yes?"

I nodded.

"Being half elf made it easier to shield but it was not without difficulty. I would be more than amenable to teaching you to block with ease."

"That would be wonderful. You have no idea what a struggle it is to maintain the concentration it takes to keep my shields in place. Even with all the improvements I've made in the last few years, it's still really hard. When I get tired or stressed or even if I have one drink too many, my shields start to slip and I can't keep out anything." I wonder if I had been half fae I wouldn't have problems blocking thoughts.

"I think we should be able to start tomorrow if you like," he said, looking at me then at Niall, who had remained quite throughout Enki's summarized history.

"That would be great. I get off work at five so we could meet here then, unless you have somewhere else in mind?"

"Here will be fine. I will call on you at six, if that's alright."

I nodded.

"Excellent. Niall has also informed me about your interest in increasing your telepathy but he was not very clear about it." Enki shifted so that he was leaning over with his elbows in his knees. "You would be entering very dangerous territory if you wanted to read supernaturals, Sookie."

I knew what he was telling me. I already had my hands full just being able to clearly read humans. Reading shifters and even vampires would make me even more desired and targeted. I don't know if it's possible to read elves or fairies or demons. I don't want to find out.

When the silence grew more pressing Niall spoke, "Sookie, Enki doesn't want to scare you but he is right. What you are asking is very dangerous and you are too exposed here."

"I know. I know the risks if supes thought I could hear them. But I need to know if I can. And I need to know if I can better block them too."

"Sookie, finding out that I could read other Supes was the reason I had to leave this realm. Shortly after I had told my father what I heard I was contacted by my Elfin kin during the night. I couldn't read their minds; just like I imagine you can't read the minds of your fairy kin," I nodded in agreement, "They came and told me it was no longer safe where I was. The human war was attracting all sorts of supernatural creatures to the area. Vampires flocked there for the easy food. Wolves enjoyed the hunting grounds of the forests nearby.

"They took me from my home that night and I never saw my father again. It wasn't until a few nights later when I came across a shifter that I realized I could read someone who wasn't human."

"What did their mind look like to you," I asked. I wondered if we saw them the same way.

"It was hazy at first. I got a lot of random pictures and swirls of emotions. None of it was clear. Is it the same for you?"

I wondered why he wasn't just looking into my mind to see for himself. But maybe he was just trying to offer me the same courtesy I always did by trying to stay out of peoples heads. "Yes, although some shifters are slightly stronger than others. And usually I can pick something up from a shifter if they are thinking directly at me or about me."

"Hmm. Well, I didn't interact with a lot of shifters at first to test that theory for myself. It was a few years later, after I had been living with my elfin Aunt and Uncle that I encountered my first vampire." Suddenly, I had a clear view into his mind, like he pulled back the dark curtains from a window to let all the light in. "I remember him quite well. I was in France by then – quite a change from the wars plaguing central and Eastern Europe. He was quite young; he didn't look much older than me at the time with pale hair and high cheekbones and seemed quite protective over another young looking vampire with reddish – "

I had to stop him. "You met Andre? And you're _alive?_" How is it they kept encountering telepaths? "And with Sophie-Anne?"

His eyebrows made their way up his forehead. "You know them?"

"Oh yes. I _knew_ them. Sophie-Anne was the Queen of Louisiana in the States. Andre was her child and second in command. Sophie-Anne had sent a vampire to my town in order to procure my telepathy for her court." I still shudder at the thought of being forced to work at the palace. "Andre cornered me during a vampire summit in Rhodes were I was contracted to use my telepathy and tried to force me to drink his blood."

I glanced at Niall who had a resolute and rather stony expression on his face. "They're dead now. Andre at the summit, Sophie-Anne during the takeover," I said glancing back and fourth between them before settling back on Niall who remained looking stoic. "It doesn't matter what they did now. You can't kill them again."

His mouth twitched slightly upward.

"What happened when you met them, Enki?"

"Andre noticed me first. He attempted to corner me in an alley but by then I had already started lessons in combat and defense at the request of my Uncle. I was able to fend him off long enough to get out of his grasp and teleport away." And there I was thinking that was just a fairy thing.

He played it for me like a movie reel in his mind; his attempts to fend off Andre's attack with well placed jabs and kicks. It seemed the only thing that kept him alive that night was the element of surprise over Andre. Then we were both suddenly in Andre's mind. He thought Enki's smoky scent and probably similar tasting blood would be a wonderful treat to share with his Maker. It was the scariest mind I'd ever been in. Scarier even than the first time I accidently slipped into Eric's the first time.

He was looking at me with hard eyes and tight mouth. My eyes widened. "How did you do that? You were inside…" I didn't even want to say it. He lifted his eyebrow and shifted his eyes to Niall and back to me without moving his face from mine.

Yes, reading vampire minds was not something a fairy prince should be privy to. And Niall did like his power.

Niall was watching us intently as the silent conversation passed between us. He didn't like being left out of the loop. "Sookie?"

"Oh. Sorry, Great Grandfather. Enki was just able to project an image through all my shields. I was surprised," I smiled in what I hoped looked like a shy and slightly embarrassed way. Lying: not my favorite thing to do but occasionally unavoidable.

_Lying will always be a part of who we are. _

I turned to look at him. _Everyone has a right to keep their secrets. Some of us more than others. _

"Please continue, Enki. What happened after you escaped from Andre? Were you able to read his thoughts?" _I imagine Niall believes you can't, otherwise you wouldn't be sitting here._

A knowing smile crept across his lips. "No, his head was a void: nothingless. I had never been so happy not to be able to read a mind before or since."

"It's the only real silence I get as well." Unfortunately not without its own price.

"The quiet of the farmlands was the most peace I got. It wasn't so difficult then since the people lived in smaller communities. Being elfin, I couldn't read my family at first. It wasn't until years later that my mind was strong enough to invade theirs. When local gossip about me spread however, that was when the vampires and weres and shifters started showing up. At first just in the village, questioning people, then at night there was talk of strange creatures walking about and people losing time…Eventually we had to leave, only for the same thing to happen again. After one particularly nasty vampire tried to spirit me away did my Aunt and Uncle decide to take me out of this realm."

"Do the elves feel the same way about half elves or quarter elves that some fairies do about part fairies?" I felt it was in poor taste to ask with Niall sitting right there but curiosity was getting the better of me.

"Some do. There will always be factions that hate, no matter what realm you are in. I do not regret my time there, despite certain unwelcome comments from others. I live there still, technically. Now I move between the realms to conduct business using my telepathy. It's quite profitable," he said with a sad little smile.

I felt a strange sense of kinship with this man. More so than anyone before. He understood. He understood the downside to telepathy. He understood the way the supernatural world just seemed to take. And take. And take. Until there was nothing left. He was part of two worlds and not part of any. I felt like I was looking a mirror and seeing the future me for a minute.

Now I just needed the other shoe to drop. "And you would be willing to help me," I asked. I wasn't quite sure I could believe it yet.

"Yes." _You and I are similar creatures. No one else will put us first but us. _

I smiled at him. It was a genuine smile and one even happier than I'd had when I was laughing in the bar earlier tonight. I took his hand and squeezed it.

"Thank you."

* * *

**A/N: Chapter 10: I can do what with my mind? **

**Things to come: What do you do when someone shouts "fire?"**

**I would like to ask everyone to please remember to review. Even if it's a short review. I know there are well over a hundred people subscribed to this story. So I would just like to encourage you, if you haven't done so already, to write one. Anonymous reviews are accepted too. **


	10. Chapter 10

_A/N: Well, I hope everyone enjoyed Dead Reckoning as much as I did! _

_The story here is going to change slightly to reflect a few elements of DR. **SPOILERS:** Obviously Victor is still alive, for now and Claude and Dermot still live in Sookie's home. The Blood Bond hasn't been broken yet, although it's fading and Sookie hasn't told Alcide he's a total asshole – yet. _

_Certain revelations about a neighboring Queendom and demon have not been made._

_However things like the Merlotte's firebombing, Sandra Pelt, meeting Lily Bard again, and Sookie finding out about Niall and Eric watching her can all be presumed as having happened. That all went down around the first week of June/last week of May and here we are in November. **/END SPOILERS**_

_Big thank yous to everyone who took the time to review! You guys are awesome and I appreciate each and everyone one of my reviews. I try to answer them all._

_Also thanks go to my new Beta Nevaluvd, who has been helpful with her suggestions. _

_Disclaimer: All characters belong to Charlaine Harris, except Enki. He's mine. If anyone is remotely curious where his name is derived from, Enki is derived from Sumerian for "lord of the earth" and is also an ancient Sumerian god of wisdom and water. Berg is Germanic origin surname. Elves are well known for their connections to the earth._

* * *

Chapter 10:

"_You should never ask anyone for anything. Never – and especially not from those who are more powerful than yourself." – Mikhail Bulgakov_

* * *

November 8th

"Focus on your breath," he whispered.

"What the hell do you think I'm doing," I said with some frustration.

"Then focus harder."

"Maybe I could if you shut up for more than ten seconds." I let go of his hands. "Sorry," I said with a sigh. "I'm not usually so rude."

"Don't worry. I promise not to take it personally," he said with a laugh. "It's been a tough couple of days. You've progressed quicker than I expected." He gave me a proud look before sitting back.

We were both sitting crossed legged and facing each other on the area rug in my living room. The night after Niall introduced me to Enki, he came over at six, as he said he would and began helping me with my telepathy for the next three hours.

The first day we practiced shielding from the other people in my apartment building, then I had to drop my shields completely so that I could hear everything – everyone in the nearby vicinity; all the people walking below, everyone in their apartments near mine and in the adjacent buildings. I had to slowly bring my shields back up and focus myself on specific individual brains that Enki would point out.

There were couples fighting, having sex, arguing over money and children and work. There were single people cooking dinner for themselves and tourists staying in week long rentals preparing for their nighttime activities of drinking and dancing. There were friends chit-chatting over food at the restaurant across the street. There were some happy people.

There was a man fantasizing about the murder he committed when he was a teenager living in Perth. There was a woman thinking about where she could find some blow and what she would have to trade for it. There was a teenager wondering if he'd have to slip something in his date's drink that night.

Enki told me to use those disgusting images, concentrate on them to block them individually and securely. I could master my disability.

The following days weren't any easier. Enki had started teaching me meditation techniques; how to "zone out" everything around me and focus only on a clear body and mind. We would start with that before leaving the apartment to practice on the minds of the city. We started with the people on the metro system, carefully lowering and raising shields, poking through their minds briefly and pulling back out again.

I found that the more I used my ability, rather than trying to just act like it wasn't there, the easier it became to bend it to my own will. It was easier blocking out the loud broadcasters after the second day.

After that my goal was to get information. I wasn't so comfortable with this part. Enki had been very clear that whatever I find could someday be valuable to either myself or the person I'm getting the information from. Apparently Enki had learned about Rene from Niall because he saw it important to give me an I-told-you-so lesson if I had decided to listen in to the people at Merlotte's rather than worry about my "prudish views of privacy."

Yeah, well, my "prudish views of privacy" are what kept me sane for 25 years.

Enki had lost his concern over privacy somewhere between being hunted for being a protestant by the humans and hunted for being telepathic by the supernaturals. I suppose being aware of who was around you could be helpful with that.

On some of the metro rides we came across a few shifters and a few Weres. Normally from them I could only get swells of emotions and snarled thoughts – a few words and images. This time around I wasn't supposed to try and stay out of their minds and since I didn't know them, I couldn't get up close to touch them. I had to now "push" into their minds to see what they were thinking. This was part of what I wanted to practice most.

It was incredibly difficult and I couldn't muster more than a few minutes of prying before the effort became too much. Not only did I have to concentrate on removing everything else from my thoughts, I had to shore up my shields to close everyone else off while I focused on invading the singular mind.

Touching their snarled thoughts with my mind revealed their colors to me easily, crimsons from pack members, some had yellow or green colors but there were quite a few who were like Nicki with blue or violet colors. Getting past those was the difficult part. Enki had started teaching me how to center myself and push apart the clouds of colored emotion until the thoughts revealed themselves. Eventually it worked on a were fox who was thinking about finding a mate. But even that took a lot of effort.

On the second day of that week that I had off from work, Enki came by earlier bringing a car with him. He told me we were going visit one of the other realms that he does some of his work in. We had a bit of a drive until we reached the portal. I was skeptical, informing him of the horrible sounds I heard when I was forced to dispose of yet another body on my property: the other Pelt sister.

"You will be fine. We aren't going to the fairy realm. I fear that is too dangerous for one with as little fairy blood as you have, unfortunately."

I couldn't suppress a shudder at what that might mean. "When the fairies are in their own realm, they don't look like us, do they?"

"Not usually, no." I caught the image in his head of something truly terrifying. It had pointed teeth and elongated ears, with skin almost albino in color to match the colorless eyes.

"There are some who are so magnificently beautiful that it actually pains to look away from them. Then there are others who are so putrid and horrifying that you would have nightmares for weeks after seeing them." Just like that he closed his mind off to me again. I appreciated that he kept up his own shield around me when he wasn't actively practicing with me since it meant another mind I didn't have to guard myself against.

"Oh." I had seen both. And I did have plenty of nightmares.

"Where we're going is another realm, more peaceful and less inhabited but filled with more species. Time works differently there so a few hours here will be maybe two days there."

"I don't know how I feel about just disappearing into another realm. Especially one with a wonky timeline."

"I won't lie to you Sookie. It isn't like here but at the same time it is, in that you could go somewhere in this world and come across something unexpected or get hurt by something or someone you didn't expect."

"Maybe, but at least I have the advantage of knowing this world."

"Fair enough, however if you want to test you abilities out on other supernatural creatures, we're going to have to go where they are – which happens to not be in this realm."

I heaved a sigh. "They will know I'm human. Mostly, anyway."

"Yes, that is why I've brought you something to drink. It will mask your scent so that you will appear, scent wise, as a fairy." Oh good. Just what I wanted. "It's in the glove box."

I took out what was a small glass vial of an almost neon blue liquid. It looked like it held maybe a half a cup. "This color doesn't look very appetizing."

"It wasn't meant to."

"How long will the effects last? And is my smell the only effect?" I wasn't taking anything without knowing what it was. "What's in it?"

Enki eyed me with sneak glances while he concentrated on the road. "I don't know exactly what's in it. Niall gave it to me to give to you when I told him what I had planned. The effects, as far as I know, are only subject to your scent and it should wear off in a few days. Humans do not cross into the realms and it would not be safe for you to do so, no matter how peaceful the one I'm taking you too is."

Niall. I wanted to trust him. I did most of the time and I was glad I had him as family but there was always something suspicious about him. Fairies were deceptive and tricky and a lot like vampires in their motivations. They always wanted something. It always felt like I was on the verge of remembering something whenever I thought about Niall and that alone always made me keep my guard up even if I was working my own advantage on him.

So it was with some hesitance that I tipped the vial back and swallowed its contents.

About ten minutes later Enki was first to notice the difference. "Your scent is starting to change."

Oh! "Are my ears going to get pointy?" I really didn't want point ears for days.

"Hmm. I…have no idea. I shouldn't think so. The potion isn't meant to affect your physical appearance."

By the time we got to the portal we were approximately a mile or so outside the Sydney city limits in a parkland looking area. It looked like the same thing that was in my woods back home. The air had a distortion to it and you could see the rip like slit in it.

"Just hold on to me Sookie. Don't let go as we pass through the realms. No matter what."

Clue number whatever that this was a bad idea.

We stepped through the portal and I was immediately met with strange pulling feeling from my waist, like I was being tugged and pinched and squeezed all at the same time. I kept my eyes closed.

I don't know how many minutes passed until I stopped feeling tugged and pinched and squeezed but it felt like a really long time before Enki asked me to open my eyes. When I did I was met with another wooded area. Enki explained that here his abilities were heightened and mine would be too. In this realm he was able to teleport, whereas he couldn't teleport in mine.

He teleported both of us to into a modest looking home; clean, it was well furnished in light colors and airy with what I assumed was a French style of patio doors that opened to a large garden.

He lived here when he wasn't traveling for work and did what work he could here as well. I could feel the magic in the air. I didn't know if it was a result of the potion from Niall, my heightened fairiness being in this realm or the potency of the magic here. Maybe it was all of the above.

He explained this realm was one of peace and often used for conducting business between races. The forces that live here imbued the land to prevent physical outbursts with violence in mind. I assumed it was somehow similar to the wards Amelia and Dermot had placed on my house, only way stronger.

That's finally when I noticed it - my connection to Eric. The blood bond was gone. I hadn't been thinking about it since the daytime confused me but he should have been there, a fading buzz in my mind. It was gone.

Eric was gone.

I made me worry that something happened but I was also somewhat relieved - I was free. I didn't know for how long, if this was permanent or if it would come back when I returned to my own realm. I wasn't sure what I wanted more. It had become comforting in it's own way.

We stayed there as Enki helped me to mediate and focus my mind clearing it of everything, which admittedly wasn't hard, being that we were the only two around. My task was to start forcing myself into his mind. At first he raised only a moderate shield, weaker even than I had before I met Bill. I was able to break through it easily at first and was greeted with images from his younger days, images of the Aunt and Uncle who raised him and how he survived undetected for years in France, having made quite a business for himself in maritime trade. No one was ever able to swindle him.

Progressively, he built his own shields back up as I tried to break through them. Eventually I had to stop. By then we had been working just under six hours on it and my brain was exhausted. I hadn't been able to break the last barrier he had put up before my mind gave out.

He had been doing the same to me over the previous days, breaking through my shields while I tried to block him from them. I was getting better at that too.

After a nap and some strange variety of fruits and vegetables to eat, we set out for a more populated area to practice on.

The place we went was simply buzzing with activity. Quite literally buzzing. It had the atmosphere of a market with stalls everywhere and hundred of…people(?) milling around. There were fairies and demons, sprites, dwarves, brownies, elves, nymphs, boggarts, gnomes, goblins, harpies, fairies and a whole bunch of other creatures I didn't even bother to wager a guess at what they were called.

The inhabitants gave me odd glances, like they were sizing me up. I smelt like fairy but it was clear I wasn't, at least, not entirely. I didn't have the height and my ears weren't pointy. (I kept feeling them to make sure.)

Some gave me menacing looks. And coming from a harpy, that was pretty frightening.

I also realized that most of what I was getting from their minds was buzzing. None of them were easy to read. It was sort of like always having the TV on and getting nothing but snow and white noise. It was about as peaceful as white noise could be too.

I looked at Enki who was staring at me with an amused expression. "Well? What are you waiting for? Focus your shields and start pushing out to minds."

Humph. We sat on a bench in the sun. I felt energized and happy. It felt like the sun was rejuvenating me and giving me strength. Was this another fairy thing?

The air was so incredibly clean and crisp, like there had never been a single exhaust fume to pollute it. The sun beat down on me, baking my skin and filling me with light while I centered myself.

I focused…and I focused some more. It took twenty minutes before I was able to block all the buzzing around me. I started to push my mind out to a vendor who looked strangely like a dwarf, with long reddish hair, a large beard, pointed ears and a round middle. As I pushed I felt the strange buzzing sensation diminish, as if someone were using volume control on him. I kept pushing until I finally felt a break in the white noise and caught a glimpse of something – papers, scattered around a desk, along with numbers and a scale. Then I was out again and the buzzing started back up.

Enki had his hand on my shoulder. "That was very good. It will get easier with practice and it will never be like reading humans. You will actively have to try entering the minds of supernaturals." He stopped there. He had a pensive look on his face.

"In that way, I suppose it will be better for you. You will not be so troubled by the minds of other supernaturals the way you must actively work to keep out humans."

I agreed. That really was better. I had no intention of actively pushing myself into the minds of others unless I was worried about my own safety or felt I was being mislead.

We continued like that for the rest of the day, moving in and out of the minds of the different supernatural races. Enki offered me a place to rest when night came. Other things came out at night here too; things I probably didn't want to know too much about.

I didn't ask.

The next day was much the same, more practicing on my shields, which seemed to be stronger here than in my realm, and more pushing into the minds of other supernaturals. It felt so intrusive and personal. I really didn't like invading unsuspecting minds but I felt, in the end, the means were justified. We came back to my realm that afternoon, right at dusk.

Technically, that was all yesterday. It felt like I had lost and gained a day and had this strange sense of distorted time.

Realm traveling jet lag.

I also felt a the slight buzz of the bond flare back to life. It was faint, almost indistinguishable but there still. The realm traveling had dampened it even further. I figured it would be gone again - completely this time, within a few days.

Today, rightfully so, my mind felt like mush. And I had spent the last eight ours at work on top of everything. The environmental convention was starting tomorrow and I had a lot to organize with the other employees.

I was sweating and I could feel my heart beating like I'd just run a marathon. So far we were just working on my shielding abilities as he tried to break through my barriers. I had a feeling he got me feeling this way on purpose to see how I could hold up under exhaustion. Clever elf.

"Let's take a break for a few minutes," he said, getting up off the floor.

"Good idea." I got up and went to the bathroom to splash some water on my face and neck.

As I dried myself with one of the towels I noticed for the first time my changed reflection in the mirror. My bond with Eric was almost all gone and with it, it seemed, the effects vampire blood had on my appearance. My hair was just a little less shiny than it was before. And my complexion was a bit dry from air here. The weather here was good and my routine coupled with the sun made my skin look quite nice, but it just wasn't quite as smooth as it used to be. Vampire blood had helped reinforce my shields, along with some guidance from Bill but I realize now with so little of it in my system all the work I've been doing with them in place has been on my own. There was nothing to use as a crutch to bolster them. I smiled to myself at that.

I realized then how little I told Enki about why I was doing this; what had finally pushed me into seeking someone more knowledgeable with telepathy. I don't know how much he's caught from my head about everything that's happened since I encountered my first vampire. If he knew, he certainly didn't show it.

When I found him, he was standing in the kitchen alcove drinking some of the sweet tea I made and staring at my Fangtasia calendar.

"Admiring Maxwell?"

"You know this vampire," he asked incredulously.

"Of course. I know all the vampires in that calendar." I pulled out the jug of tea from the fridge and some leftover pasta salad from yesterday. All this mind stuff makes a girl hungry. "They all work for Eric."

"Eric is your vampire lover, the one Niall mentioned." He asked as he flipped the calendar pages to look at the other vampires.

I realized then I hadn't mentioned word one to him about Eric. "Umm, yes. That's him," I said, pointing to January.

He whistled.

"He's not with you now."

"He's not in Sydney, if that's what you mean."

He turned back to the calendar. "You are friends with all these vampires?" He asked it with some mild disgust and a raised lip.

I was surprised. He seemed so tolerant of the different races. Now he was disgusted by my association with vampires? "Not all of them," I said, pointing to him the picture of Clancy as Mr. March that he had flipped to. "He didn't like me and I didn't like him much. He also died in January during the Fae war with Breneadan. You know, finally died."

"He tried to eat me once." He was looking at the picture again but his eyes weren't focused. "It was 1945. I remember because of the celebrations everywhere. The war had ended. I was very intoxicated."

"Yeah, that would make me angry too." Spoiling all the fun by getting nearly eaten.

"Is he the only one you met? You know, from there?" I asked, pointing to the calendar.

"I have heard stories of Eric, The Norseman or sometimes he is just referred to as 'The Viking' but I did not realize he is the same Eric Niall mentioned is your lover. He is quite ruthless."

You're telling me.

"What have you heard?" Now was as good a time as any for some extra Eric info.

"Just stories passed on through others. He was quite vicious during the Fae war with Niall. The first one, that is. Stories of his deeds passed through the realms.

His maker was known for his cruelty and sadism in his early years. He's made numerous children, some just as sadistic as he." He went back for another glass of tea.

"I'm frankly surprised that Eric isn't like him at all. From what I understand, Eric can be quite levelheaded when he wants to be. But I was unaware a vampire with his age retained any emotion at all, especially enough to find interest in someone so…" He looked at me as if trying to figure out the most appropriate adjective. "…human."

"Hum. Yeah, I get that sometimes."

"We should continue. It will be dark soon and I want to get started on our next lesson."

"Which is?"

"We're going to see if you can read vampire minds," he told me with a smile on his face.

"How do you intend to find one willing to be read?"

"You told me earlier there was one staying in your hotel. I presume he is there still?"

"Yes." I was very well aware Freckles was still hanging around my hotel, trying figure out why he's never spotted me when I work there five days a week. By the time he can leave the hotel, my scent is gone, with a hundred other human scents to take its place.

"Well then, we should get going. I don't plan on asking them their permission."

Ten minutes later we were situated in the front seat of his car, a mauve Subaru, waiting for Freckles to make an appearance. Not literally of course but once he wakes we should be able to feel his void nearby.

It wasn't long. Vampires are funny that way, their brain just sort of flips on, like a light switch. One minute there's a void, then the next, gone. Dead for the day.

I knew where to concentrate since all the vampire accommodations at the hotel were on the sixteenth floor. It was back to taking a lot of effort to keep everything else out and only allowing for one sort of window to be open in my mind. It was getting easier every day and for that I was grateful.

"Now you know vampires are different. They are only kept alive by magic. Technically, they are dead. Yet they function. They walk, they talk, they think and feel and so in that sense, they are very much alive. But their minds work different than any other living thing. You follow me?"

I nodded. "Their brains technically don't fire like a living person's would."

"Indeed. However, their magic is all part of the same magic within other magical creatures, like the ones you saw yesterday. In that knowledge is a way around the void. It acts like another layer of protection for the vampire, like their hard skin or excelled strength.

"Now follow the void," he stated, nodding toward the hotel.

Freckles was stationary in one spot, probably taking a shower while I concentrated. "Am I supposed to push, like with the others, or what?"

"Concentrate on the void, imagine yourself in it. Imagine your own mind in it, filling it, moving it, touching the edges of it." His eyes were closed as he explained what to do.

So I imagined. This was all very awkward. I let my mind spill into the void and left all the thoughts from other minds to drown away. I was so focused I didn't realize Freckles had company. A donor, I assumed.

The void began to turn slightly red. It felt warm in my mind. I figured this was what blood lust looked like, or as much as it could look like with a willing donor around.

I moved around, spreading my mind out to fill the emptiness of his and touching its edges. When the blood lust faded the color changed to an inky blue-black. It felt dark and cold, like being thrown in a dirt pit.

There.

I saw it.

An image of me; tanned, with my long blonde hair and words coming from someone else's voice.

Eric.

_Find her. Don't approach her. Don't let her know you're there. Find out where she is._

Then it was gone and I was in the inky blackness again.

I pulled out of the void, shoring my shields back together. That was fucking creepy.

I realized I was sweating again. My brow and underarms were drenched and sweat dripped down the small of my back and ringed the collar of my shirt. I glanced at the clock on the dashboard.

Holy shit!

I had been trying to get into his mind for over an hour. This was not something I wanted to pursue if that was all I was going to get after over an hour's work and strain. I can't hide my concentration for that long, even if it does get shorter with practice. It was too dangerous.

"So?" Enki asked, with a questioning expression. "Did you hear something?"

"Briefly. I just got a glimpse before it closed back up again. It felt creepy. I didn't like it."

"I know what you mean. It's sort of like…tumbling down the rabbit hole. You really don't know what's on the other side. Most of the time, you really don't want to know."

I nodded. "Can you read them clearly?"

"Sometimes, usually with younger vampires it is easiest. Most of the time, for anything coherent I need direct contact and a lot of concentration. I rarely do it since if vampires knew they would attempt to hunt me down whenever I entered this realm. Others would try to use me as a weapon. When I have done it in the presence of witnesses, I have been able to pander it off as my own type of glamour.

"Usually I just use it for myself, to make sure I'm not being cheated."

"Good to know."

"So what was he thinking about?"

"Eric." Freckles mind had been cold and inky. Eric's mind had been snarled and twisty like a snake pit. If that was the feeling from every vampire mind, I'm staying out.

"Eric?" He asked, with a bemused expression. "That is rather…coincidental."

"And me. He was sent my Eric to find me, apparently. That's why he has the picture of me. He's not supposed to approach me. Just follow me and find out where I go and what I do."

"A tracker."

"Seems so." I felt a little deflated. I figured Eric would send someone, or come himself eventually. But I didn't like being followed, or stalked, as it were.

When Eric set his mind to something, he usually got it.

"So are you going to tell me why he sent a tracker to find you?"

"I guess it was because I didn't tell him I was leaving. Or where I was going."

He snorted. "That'll do it."

"You said Niall told you I was interested in working on my telepathy. Did he tell you why?"

"No. I assumed shielding was an issue. It would drive a person insane if they couldn't shield properly. I also assumed that you had dealings with Weres and shifters, if you were interested in focusing on them more."

"Yes, that's all true but really, that's only the tip of the iceberg."

Hell, I hadn't planned to go into this. "Let's head back. I'll make us something to eat and I'll explain why I want to work more on my telepathy.

Once we arrived back at my apartment, I began telling him about my run-ins with vampires and werewolves and my shifter boss Sam and my now bitten werepather brother.

Once I got to the part about my house burning down again I stopped. I had tears running down my face and lump in my throat.

That had been the last fucking straw. I had had it with Victor Madden.

Then I got in to telling Enki what I did to reciprocate.

I had on my famous "Crazy Sookie Smile" as I told him.

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**A/N: I think I smell a flash back next chapter. I also think I smell blood, and violence and the dry scent of a Viking.**

**Don't forget to review! I know who you are and I thank all of you who faved and alerted my story, but remember, reviewing tells me how you really feel about what's going on it Sookie's world (and mine, consequently) since it's my story. **


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: **_I had to break this chapter down into two parts since it was getting too long. Next chapter will be the switcher to an M rating, so be forewarned. _

_Big thanks to everyone for their comments and critiques. I try to answer all of them and I'm always interested in what you have to say, good or bad. If anyone has questions about what I write, please always feel free to contact me. So thank you, to those of you who leave me insightful comments and who have faved and alerted my story. _

_**ALSO** don't forget to check out my profile for the image of Enki Berg that I've posted. He is very similar to what I had in my head when I envisioned Enki. He my view, he doesn't initially appear to be of traditional German stock due to his mothers heritage and instead has darker skin, dark hair and very green eyes. Whereas he retains the bone structure and height of his father's German side._

_Characters belong to Charlaine Harris._

* * *

Chapter 11

"_It's not about who's got powers, morons. It's about who's not afraid. And who's going to do what has to get done."_

_- Michael Grant_

* * *

**The day Sookie's house burnt down**

I could hear the sirens from the fire truck as it flew down the road to my house. The police siren was directly behind it.

Claude and I were standing directly in their path waiting for them, covered in soot and dirt from the smoke waiting, wearing nothing but our sleep clothes. Neither of us was wearing shoes and the gravel stung. There was no time to think about it when we were at Claude's.

The Were brains that I had counted earlier had disappeared in the time it took for Claude and I to get Eric to safety. I doubted they were gone completely but they were far enough away that I couldn't detect them with my telepathy.

I stood there watching, as the fire encased the entire first floor of my family home, filling it with flames. Black plumes of smoke filtered out through the broken windows. I realized then the odd difference in appearance of my house on fire in the harsh sunlight. Everything was clearer; all the edges and damage more visible.

Some of my best memories took place in that house. All my mementos of Gran were there. All the family photos were there. Gran's old silver was there. The hideous old afghan Gran had kept for years; the same afghan I had used to cover Eric and me when he couldn't remember who he was. The door frame where Gran used to mark mine and Jason's heights as we grew. The table Gran and I had our meals at.

The bed where Eric and I had first made love.

I couldn't stop the overflow of tears from escaping the corners of my eyes.

Claude, never one for huge displays of concern, wrapped an arm around my shoulders and pulled me to his side. He didn't say anything.

We backed up as the fire engine pulled up the drive, scattering more of my gravel and a slew of men started running out from its insides, grabbing their hats and pulling up their masks as they moved the hose out from the back of the truck. I blessed all of them for coming out to help.

Catfish Hunter was the first one over to me. I had a sudden wave of déjà vu flooding my memory.

"Sookie," he said, taking in my disheveled appearance, "anyone still in there?"

"No, just me and Claude."

"No one else inside! Propane tank in the back!" He yelled over his shoulder to the guys setting up the hose behind him.

"Sookie, your car parked in back like usual?" He asked urgently.

I nodded. There was a flurry of activity then and like a finely tuned piano, they performed their task perfectly. Hoyt Fortenberry was there with Ralph Tooten again and a bunch of others. My brother was just pulling up in his black truck with the swirls on the side.

No sooner did he open his car door I was wrapped up in a big bear hug from Jason.

"Are you hurt?" He pulled me back giving me a once over looking for damage. He didn't pay Claude any notice.

Jason was steaming mad; I could see it in his mind. Turning into a werepanther might have changed his mental signature but I knew my brother. Seeing our old home going up in flames for the second time sure didn't make anything easier.

"I'm alright. My throat hurts some but I'll live. Claude?" I asked turning to him.

"Cousin, I find living with you jeopardizing to my health on a near weekly basis."

I burst out laughing. "Yeah, so do I."

"I can smell them, all over the property." Jason had his face raised up to the sky and he was inhaling deeply through his nose.

"Werewolves," we all said together.

Just then I heard the sound of glass breaking as the firemen pushed their hoses through the windows to better reach the fire.

Hoyt came over to us with some blankets and Claude and I wrapped them around ourselves. It wasn't cold out but I was glad the whole fire department and anyone else who was likely to show up wouldn't get to see me braless in my night clothes and covered with soot. I don't think Claude cared either way.

Sheriff Bud Dearborn was walking up the path behind the truck along with Andy Bellefleur, who had a sour look on his face. Bud Dearborn always looked like a Pekinese with his pushed in face and dark eyes. Today was no different.

"One fire not enough for you, Sookie?" Bud questioned.

"Excuse me?" I was in no mood for his bullshit.

"This is the second time we've been called out here for a fire on your property."

I was about to lose it with what he was insinuating. "What an excellent memory you have Sheriff. I know it must be hard at your age."

Both the Sheriff and Andy were staring at me like I had grown a second head.

"What? I don't appreciate your tone with me Bud. Rather than even asking me what happened you start off with some snide remark toward me. Well, I'm here to tell you right now, _Bud_," I pushed my finger into his chest, "that stops right now."

I had fucking had it. First Eric, then wolves, then Victor and now Bud Dearborn thinks he's going to get away with his usual smarmy remarks?

I could just make out Claude chuckling slightly behind me while Jason stood to the side watching me like I was Monday night football.

"Calm down, Sookie." Andy had witnessed the entire interaction and finally seemed to have regained his voice.

"Calm down, Andy? My home, my family home that's lasted since before the Civil War is going up in smoke, along with every thing a Stackhouse had ever put in it and you want me to '_calm down'?_" I was infuriated.

"Sookie, I apologize. Please remove your hand." Bud was looking a little flustered.

I pulled my hand away. "Thank you."

"Alright, now let's get to the bottom of this. Who is your friend here?" Bud asked pointing his head to Claude.

"Claude Crane, I'm Sookie's cousin."

"Crane? You related to the other one, the female that was here last time?" I could see the image of Claudine pop up in his head. He thought it peculiar both of them were here the two times my house caught fire.

"That must have been my sister, Claudine. She was quite fond of Sookie."

"Was?"

"She passed, unfortunately," I told them. Claude didn't need to rehash it. "In January."

"I'm sorry to hear that. So what were you doing here then?" Bud went right back to questioning.

As Claude explained his living situation I watched as Catfish and the others made their way inside the house to put out the rest of the flames. I was afraid of what the inside was going to look like when they were done.

The sounds of more cars turning up the road distracted me as I watched Greg Aubert pull up, along with Maxine Fortenberry and Sam Merlotte. Just great. Greg was my insurance agent. I always liked Greg. He was a decent man who was always respectful towards me and my Gran. Greg was also a witch and would cast protective spells around his clients insured things; whether they were homes, cars or others, in an attempt to prevent accidents.

Sam made it over to me first and enveloped me in my second hug for the day.

"How are ya, Cher?" His eyes were darting between me, Claude and the house like a three-way tennis match. His brain, meanwhile, was a snarled mass of red.

"I've been better Sam. I'm a little tired of people trying to kill me," I said as I hugged him back.

Sam caught a whiff then as the air shifted direction and growled. "You know who did this, Sookie?" I gave Sam the hairy eyeball. Was he seriously expecting me to say werewolves in front of Bud Dearborn and Andy Bellefleur?

They were all looking at me and waiting. Thankfully, Claude came to my rescue for the second time today.

"I suspect the Fellowship." Claude was giving me a knowing look. I guess Claudine must have mentioned the Jeff Marriott incident at some point.

"That would be the Fellowship of the Sun?" Andy questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes. Sookie seems to have made herself a nasty reputation amongst Fellowship members. Seeing as how they didn't get her the last time they were here, I suspect they tried again." You would never know Claude was telling an out and out lie. It was perfect. He was completely calm and impassive as he said it. I briefly wondered if he could pass one of those FBI tests.

"I also believe I heard some of them say some lewd comments about vampires and shifters." I would love to know Claude's definition of "lewd."

I didn't like the idea of laying blame on the Fellowship, even though they did hate me and probably wanted me dead for all sorts of reasons. I didn't want to give them any further attention. Then again, they haven't given a second thought to making my life miserable.

"Sookie, did you not say you were being harassed by that little mob that lives in the shifter's parking lot now?"

Bud narrowed his eyes. "Are you referring to the protestors outside Sam Merlotte's establishment?" He asked, flicking his gaze between me and Claude.

"Yes." I know there is a certain rung in hell reserved for liars but right now, how was I going to explain a deranged vampire regent who wants me dead sending werewolves to kidnap me? I felt my face flush as I looked down. "I didn't pay no mind to it. I'm used to people talking trash about me."

Andy shifted uncomfortably.

It was Sam's turn to join the charade. "Sookie, you should have said something if those idiots were harassing you. We could have protected you, got a restraining order or something."

"Did any of them ever follow you home, Sookie?" Bud asked.

"I don't think so but it wouldn't be hard to figure out. Almost everybody in this town knows where they could find me if they wanted." Consequences of small town living. Everybody knows everybody.

"We'll need you to walk us through everything that happened."

As I began explaining I noticed the crowd that had drawn around us. The fire was nearly out. Maxine had found herself a place to perch and listen. Greg was standing behind Jason. At some point Tara and JB had arrived. I was surprised she wasn't at her store. None of the ladies who had arrived seemed to look anywhere but at Claude's perfectly chiseled front.

Terry had also driven up but was hanging back from the crowd. It looked like his truck was full of tools. I half expected Trey Dawson and Calvin Norris to come lumbering up before remembering that would never happen again.

I told them about waking up sometime after nine and while I was in the bathroom, hearing the first shattering of glass. Someone had thrown Molotov cocktails through my kitchen window setting the curtains, table and wall on fire. The smoke detector went off and I heard more glass breaking in the living room where another one had landed on my couch and one had rolled across the carpet. I ran to my room after that where my cell phone was to call the fire department when another one flew threw my bedroom and landed on my bureau. I skipped the whole Claude popping us out part in favor of saying we ran out the front door.

By the time I finished the crowd had multiplied. The fire was out and Catfish had come back over to me.

"Sookie, do you know whose Corvette is parked behind your house?"

Oh, shit.

"That would be my boyfriend's, Eric. I believe you've all met him, one time or another." Everyone shifted uncomfortably at that. Bud and Andy had nearly peed themselves seeing Eric the first time.

"He wasn't in the house was he?" Sam asked. I swear I could see a faint twinge of hope in his eyes.

"No," I lied. "He had some business to discuss with Bill," I pointed my thumb behind me toward Bill's house. "It lasted pretty late, so he told me he was going to spend the day there." I guess the lying comes easier with practice.

Claude gave me a half smirk.

"Is his car ok?" As if Eric wasn't going to be pissed enough when he woke up.

"'Fraid not. The other two cars didn't fair too good neither. I'm assumin' now the Impala is yours?" Catfish was looking at Claude.

"It is damaged?"

"Best not to look just now." And with that, Claude's face went from expressionless to morose.

After a few more questions Bud and Andy finished up and told me I'd have to come down in a day or two to sign an official report and statement. Then they left to inspect the perimeter of the property.

"Are the guys almost done in there?" I asked Catfish.

"Yeah, they're just checking the structure. It's not looking too safe, so best be careful when you go in to asses." He looked over to Greg, "You'll be goin' in with her, right?"

"That's right. Sookie, you remember what happened last time? More or less the same thing."

And that's how the next several hours went. After my house was declared safe to move around in, I went in with Greg, Claude and Jason. I asked Sam if he could gather me up some boxes for my things and I imagine Maxine was off baking something for all of us. Someone must have called her and told her we weren't in anything but our sleep clothes because she had brought with her a pair of sweatpants and some slippers for me and some pants and shoes that must have belonged to Hoyt at some point for Claude.

The front and back porch were badly scorched but not completely beyond repair. The screen had melted in several areas and some of the railing had broken. The kitchen was once again damaged and would need complete remodeling. The fridge and some of the appliances would survive and most of what was inside the cabinets was salvageable. The laminate on the cabinet doors was curled and charred and the ceiling was black from smoke damage, as was the ceiling in the living room. At least I didn't have the time to get too attached to this kitchen.

The furniture in the living room was completely done for. It reeked of smoke and burnt fabric. Everything would have to go. The cocktail they threw landed right on Gran's old couch, engulfing the whole thing in red flame and spreading onto the carpet and surrounding furniture. It felt like a little piece of me had broken inside, seeing it like that.

I started to shake a little remembering Gran cleaning up my scraped knees when I fell off my bike as a kid. Jason came over and pulled me into his arms. Waves of rage were falling off him and feeding my own anger. I couldn't stand it any longer and pulled myself out of his grasp.

"I'm sorry, Jason," I said. "I just…can't." I turned away from him to look at what was left of the mantel. As it turned out, the damage to it was minimal, being made from stone and brick underneath, only the surrounding drywall would need some retouching and painting. The photographs that were laid over it were coated in soot and smoke but were mostly safe inside the glass frames, as were the photographs in the frames going up the stairs.

I was prepared for the worst going in, thinking that I would lose all the family photographs but here was some reprieve at least.

My bedroom didn't fair so well either. The bureau was completely charred on the right side and the mirror was shattered. I opened my make up drawer, which happened to be on the less damaged side. Many of the cases had melted together and none of it was salvageable. I threw them on to the floor, seeing as how there already was plenty of debris, a little more made no difference. In the back of the drawer I found what I was looking for and quickly placed the cluviel dor in the pocket of my sweatpants.

The bed would need replacing as would many of my clothes and shoes…again. Since the closet shared a wall with the kitchen, many of the hangers had melted from the heat and my clothes took the brunt of the damage. I heaved a little sigh at all of the damage. Once more I had escaped another attempt on my life. Tears were creeping down my face as I looked at all the things that would need replacing. It wasn't that they were really valuable, aside from some jewelry but were dear to me for their memories.

I caught sight of my "nice date dress" in the back of my closet, the white one I had liked so much with the red flowers. The hanger had melted so that the straps of the dress were forever stuck to it and bubbly. It was stained from the smoke damage and the flowers really stood out against the mix of soot and splotches of white to look like blood.

The second bedroom wasn't terribly damaged beyond the initial smoke damage. The linins would need washing and the walls painted but the furniture was intact.

Claude and Greg had moved upstairs to look at the damages while Jason and I inspected the second bedroom.

When they came down, Greg had a grim look on his face.

"The second floor is not very stable. It would be unwise to go back up there."

"Oh. The damage?"

"Heavy smoke damage, the floors will need replacing and the walls painted. Most of the furniture wasn't damaged but there were a few things that melted to the floor. They'll need replacing."

For the remaining afternoon, I sat with Greg in a kind of stupor, absorbing everything but retaining nothing. We went over the damage, what kind of money I'd be getting, when it would come, how much and what my premium would look like. Greg was glad that he had placed some extra protection on my house since the last time. The damage was more extensive but after Greg and I had chatted the first time, we mutually decided a bigger policy would be necessary.

At some point the State Arson Investigator arrived, poked around, asked some questions and left again.

While we talked, Sam had come back with boxes and garbage bags. I assumed the bar was being handled by Kennedy for the time being since both Sam and Terry were here. Jason, Claude, JB and Terry meanwhile had been taking out anything that looked like it was in decent condition and setting it out on the lawn. Tara, seeing what was going on had left after checking on me and came back again in the early afternoon, leaving the store in McKenna's care, she later told me, for the rest of the day.

When she pulled up she got out and pulled me over to the back of her car and opened the trunk. Inside were several medium sized boxes of clothes. They were all new, with their tags still on them.

"Tara…I," I couldn't finish my sentence. I thought I was cried out but apparently not. There was a huge lump in my throat and I couldn't raise the energy to speak so I just hugged her.

"You didn't have to do this. I'll pay you back for all of it."

"Nonsense, Sookie. You're out of clothes. These were sitting in my store room. I was thinking of giving them to the women's domestic violence shelter in Shreveport anyway. Besides, I won't let you go around wearing charred clothes. Not when I have perfectly useable things right here." She smiled at me.

I didn't bother going poking through her head to see if she was telling me the truth or not.

"Thanks, Tara." I didn't bother questioning when I glanced at the tags that everything was in my size.

Tara and I loaded the boxes into Jason's truck bed before she headed back out again. The rest of the afternoon passed more or less silently as the six of us went through the house sorting everything out. Claude and Sam took care of most of the upstairs, bringing out the bad furniture while JB and Terry concentrated on the living room. Claude brought down most of his and Dermot's personal things where they went to one side and mine to another.

I took care of bringing out the things from my room. I was relieved to see the case I had placed underneath my bed had remained mostly undamaged, if only a little singed. I carried out what I could, boxed them and put them in Jason's truck. I would ride with Jason over to Eric's house and drop what I could there – clothes and other personal items. Jason and Terry carried the bed out to sit with the other unsalvageable items. I stared at it for a while until Sam snapped me out of my reverie. The two of us carried out the kitchen table.

There everything was. The collection of Stackhouse purchases over a century and a half, charred, scorched and otherwise unrecognizable, spread out on my front lawn. And here Jason and I were, the last remaining Stackhouses, the only ones left with the knowledge of our family history. Well, aside from the fairies.

This was all Victor's doing. The Weres were just doing his bidding. I was starting to lose count now with how many times it seemed Victor was the underlying cause of my attempted murder. And now, while he may not have succeeded in claiming my life, he took my home from me. That was completely unacceptable. I was sick of waiting for Eric and Pam to do something about him. Sooner or later, if Victor wasn't stopped, one of his plans may just end up succeeding.

I had considered calling Dermot during all of this but between JB and Terry, it would raise too many questions having someone who looked like Jason's identical twin show up.

I knew Claude wanted to get back to his place in Monroe but I was really antsy about leaving him alone with Eric in his house. There was still about two hours until sunset but there was nothing that could be done about it.

Sam came over to me. "Hey, Sook," he said. His face was a little sooty and his hands were covered in dirt. Mine were too, come to think of it.

"Hey, Sam."

"You need a place to stay?" Sam asked facing the house.

"No. I'll be fine at Eric's."

"Is Eric really at Bill's?"

"Nope. But he is safe."

"What really happened?" I looked over at him. His mouth was pressed into a thin line and his arms were crossed over his chest.

"Werewolves. They were sent by Victor Madden to abduct me. I guess they had been watching the house because they knew Eric was here."

"Goddamnit, Sookie. All he does is get you in deeper with this vampire crap." Sam was facing me now and his hand was moving through his messy strawberry blond hair.

Something in me snapped.

"I don't recall asking for a lecture from you, Sam Merlotte." If he thought I wasn't willing to rip him a new asshole if he started in on me today of all days, he was in for a big surprise.

I guess the look on my face must have said as much because he didn't press it any further. I wondered if he read any books about inconvenient times to raise an issue.

"I just hate seeing you in danger, Sookie." Like danger started and ended with Eric.

"Eric isn't the only one to have brought danger into my life. And you don't even know half of the nice things he's done for me or what he's like when we're together." Sam really needed to keep his thoughts to himself. I would rather his feeling about Eric stay in his head where I have a hard time reading.

"I know, Sook. I just…I'm here if you need me, you know that right?" He gave me a little half smile and put his hand on my shoulder.

"I know, Sam. And I appreciate that. I'll be fine. I may need a day or two though."

"Don't worry about it. I'll put you on for two days from today. Sound okay to you?"

"Yeah, Sam. Thank you for helping today."

After Sam and JB left, Claude popped over to find Dermot and tell him to bring the other car they had at his place in Monroe. It was Claudine's old car. Jason and I drove over to Eric's to leave my stuff there and then drove to Claude's. It would take about the same amount of time for Dermot and Claude to drive to Bon Temps, load everything and drive back.

By the time I got back to the room where we had left Eric, I was dead on my feet. There was still some time before sunset and I couldn't even muster the energy for a shower before collapsing.

"Sookie?" I heard it through a fog and reasoned I was still dreaming so I paid no attention to it.

"Sookie." This time I felt a little shaking from my waist. Something heavy was pressing on it.

"Mmm…not right now." I was tired of people waking me up all the time.

"Sookie, why do you smell like smoke? And where are we? You're covered in…what are you covered in?" I heard a deep sniffing sound. "Ash?"

My eyes shot open as everything came flooding back. I bolted upright, not realizing he was leaning over me and bumped into his head in the darkness. "Ow." I rubbed my head. "You have a hard head."

I could just make out the faint glowing on his skin in the dark room as he laughed quietly.

"Eric." I leaped up onto my knees and wrapped my arms around his neck. "You would not believe the day I had." Every part of my body was humming, happy that for the moment, everything was quiet and I was near him.

"Something tells me I will." He wrapped his arms around my waist and we held each other there for a moment, until I got control of myself. He kissed my neck inhaled deeply.

Over the next several minutes, between choked sobs, tears and swells of anger, I told him what happened today. When I told him the thoughts I picked up from the Weres, his anger joined my own and grew.

"I'm sorry about your car." I finally said.

"Forget about my car."

"What? You love that car." I was surprised. I expected him to be much angrier about it.

"It's insured. I can get another one. Is yours?"

I nodded.

"It was quick thinking to have your cousin pop us here. The Weres weren't expecting a fairy in the house." Eric seemed lost in a bundle of thoughts.

"Nope. Bet this is the first time you're thankful for Claude staying with me, huh?" I gave him a little nudge in the side.

"More than, thankful," he said, cupping my face. "This is the second time you've saved me during the day from burning."

"Yeah, you're racking up quite the debt, buddy," I mumbled. I only half meant it.

"I know." Orbs of blue were boring into my own, trying to convey all the things he felt. Love. Fear. Worry. Sadness. Guilt. It was all a bit overwhelming.

When it became too much, I looked away. "I need a shower and some sleep. You do too."

He looked down at himself to see some of the ash and soot had gotten on to him as well.

"Where is the fairy now?"

"He should be here." I closed my eyes to scan for brains and found Claude and Dermot outside, behind the house. "Outside, in the back, talking to Dermot."

"Come, we'll fly back to my home. I need to speak to the fairy."

He asked me to wait in hall for him when he went to speak with Claude.

I understood. It might upset him even more having to thank yet another non-vampire for preventing his final death.

Pride gets the better of all of us.

It was a special treat to go flying with Eric. It scared me a little, even though I knew I wouldn't fall. But it was exhilarating and I could see why Eric enjoyed it. It was liberating, like it was just you and the sky and nothing else. The air was cool and crisp and the wind nipped and blew at our hair. He was holding me prone against him so that my arms were around his neck and he was gripping my back and waist. Our hair tangled together in the wind.

"I don't know what I would have done if I'd lost you," I whispered into his ear.

His arms tightened around me. "It was good a good thing that the Weres had no idea where I slept. They must have presumed I would be in the same room with you. From what you told me, I would have most likely survived the day in the other room." He sounded confident but I could feel his hesitance. He wasn't the type to admit when he was uncertain of something but the possibility of daytime discovery wasn't new to him.

"I would have been more concerned about you," he said and the rage in him bubbled up, "About what those filthy creatures had planned for you."

"Yeah, well, I'd rather not think about that anymore than I already have." It was actually the last thing I wanted to think about it. Their thoughts had crept back to haunt me all day while I was sorting through what was left of my house.

"All thinking about it's made me want to do is find them, find out what they were planning and…pay them and Victor back for what they've done."

He must have felt my determination because something akin to pride seemed to seep out of him. "And so we will, my lover." His voice was full of affection.

When we landed at Eric's house, I made beeline for the shower in Eric's bedroom. It's all I've wanted since the day started. Eric went to use the phone. I presumed it was to call Pam. I shrugged out of my tank top, which by now was quite dirty, and the shorts and sweatpants from Maxine. I couldn't throw those away but I definitely wasn't keeping that sleep set anymore. I dropped my purse with my phone in it somewhere along the way to the shower. Before I got in I remembered the cluviel dor in my sweatpants pocket and slipped it into a pair of socks I kept in his dresser.

I let the hot water wash over my tired body and calm my nerves. I scrubbed every inch of me until my skin was raw. I was crying again, not just a few tears but ragged, nose stuffing, cheeks red, you can't breathe type of crying. I couldn't stop.

At some point during my crying escapade Eric must have heard because the next thing I knew, he was in the shower with me. He stroked my back in a calming up and down motion and laid his cheek on my head.

It occurred to me that Eric must have had a really good hot water heater because I'd had the hot water cranked for well over thirty minutes and it was still going strong.

"Pam is on her way," he told me without moving his head.

"Good." Now would be a great time to formulate a plan to kill Victor.

He took his time it wash me, even though I had already scrubbed myself clean and I washed him back. We didn't say much. I was too exhausted by then the form any coherent sentences. I moved my soaped hands over him, slowly and deliberately, up and down his front. I sighed. This was a much better view than what I had earlier today. Eric seemed to agree. He moved around so that I could get his back and that beautiful butt of his, giving it a playful slap when I was done. He wasn't expecting it and it brought out the only laugh I'd had that day.

"Lover, if you continue on like that, we'll never make it out before Pam gets here."

When we dried, I put on a little summer pajama set I had left at Eric's house. I had a few drawers now in his main bedroom mostly with clothes and a few books. All the things I had brought today were still piled in the hallway near the kitchen.

The pajama set was one of the few sets I had in black. The top was a tank top with a print on it in pink, red and blue that read "I heart late nights," with matching black shorts. I thought Eric would appreciate it.

Sitting up against the headboard, I watched the muscles in his back move to and fro as he dressed slowly, for my viewing pleasure. Hey, after my crap day, a little ogling was a nice reprieve.

I was determined to stay awake so that we could both talk with Pam but my body had other ideas.

I was out like a light.

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**A/N: _I know I promised violence here but, next chapter, I promise! It will continue in the past (pre Aussie land)_**

**_Please remember to review. It makes Eric's undead heart beat (if you listen really, really hard.)_**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N:** Talk about a busy week! My friend of 10 years got married last Sunday! The first one in my group of friends. Now she's in Italy on her honeymoon.

This chapter was tough. It is my longest thus far, at close to 8000 words. I find that writing and Eric POV - To Canon (not the romanticized fanfic Eric) really hard. Sookie speaks to me much more easily. Anyway, I hope I did justice to him in this chapter. I hope you will all share your thoughts with me about it.

Again, thank you everyone who took the time to review! I love reading them and I love seeing my inbox full after I post a new chapter. Also thanks to everyone who has added my story to alerts, or favorites or Author altered me. It says a lot that with just one story you've put me on Author Alert. (I've got an idea brewing for a new story but haven't decided if I'll work on it at the same time as this one).

Disclaimer: All characters belong to Charline Harris.

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**Chapter 12**

"_On a long enough timeline, the survival rate of everything drops to zero."_

_-Chuck Palahniuk_

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**The Night Sookie's House Burnt Down**

I woke sometime later that night to feel a large hand stroking my side underneath my shirt. The hand continued to move up and down and around to my stomach while I kept my eyes closed. The contact felt nice. Comforting.

_Just enjoy the moment_. I could feel him behind me, the front of him less than inch away from my back.

"What time is it?" Eyes still closed.

"A little after three."

I turned around to face him. His hair looked windswept and there was a smudge of dirt on his face, right above his left eyebrow. His shirt and shoes were gone.

I reached up to wipe the bit of dirt off his face. "What were you doing?" He smelled a bit like earth and trees.

"Pam and I went to your house to see the damage and look for any Were scents. You forgot to inform Bill. He was very worried about you when he rose for the evening." I was surprised he reiterated Bill's feelings.

It must have shown because he continued, "he says he left you several messages on your phone. When he couldn't contact you, he called me. He noted my car was there too.

"Not that I mind if you have chosen to discontinue your communication with Bill."

"Oh. Oops." Calling Bill to tell him my house caught fire wasn't really at the top of my list of things to do during the day. Oh, well. Now he knows. I chose to ignore the other half of Eric's statement.

"So what happened?"

"Pam and I met him near your property and we scoured the area. There were numerous scents to follow and we tracked them through the woods to an abandoned house in Monroe." Despite their mutual animosity, Eric and Bill got along when necessary. Kind of like frenemies, I guess.

I could feel Eric tense around me his anger ebbed through our blood bond.

"What is it? What aren't you telling me?" I knew it had to be something big based on the lack of control he was putting into his temper.

"It appeared as though they were staying there for a few days. There were several things there that indicated what they were planning." His mouth had moved down into a very straight line and his lips were pressed so tightly together they might have broken with the force he was using.

It didn't take a genius to figure out, even if I hadn't gotten snippets from their thoughts.

"Was there anything useful there? Anything about Victor?" The more I thought about what he wanted done with me – or to me, the more I wished for his very painful demise.

"No. I've arranged for the Shreveport Pack to hunt for these hired idiots during the day. They were quite happy to have the opportunity to hunt down trespassers on their property." He looked simply giddy at the prospect of a good hunt.

Who wouldn't be? Thinking of Alcide though brought on a whole mess of other feelings I didn't want to deal with right now. That Were had one too many issues with females.

"They shifted and drove off once they reached their Monroe nest. There wasn't enough time to continue the hunt any further and make it make here with enough time to see you before I had to rest."

"They knew you were there. I didn't sense anyone in my woods last night." Eric would notice if someone was following him, right? Unless he was distracted. Really distracted.

"You don't think they know where you live, right?"

"I don't think so," he said in a grave voice. "After that…incident with you and Pam, I've taken to flying to and from Fangtasia if I'm leaving or coming here. If I needed my car, I could fly to Fangtasia for it."

I wondered if flying was a popular gift for vampires. I had only ever seen Eric do it but then again, how many other vampires did I get to spend this much time with?

"Will the Shreveport pack be able to find them even if they left the area?" I wasn't to sure about werewolf jurisdiction. It wasn't anywhere near as organized as the way the vampires had separated into areas.

"They have some connections throughout the state. With the descriptions you have, they will be able to contact the other packmasters about them."

"Well, that's something." I knew what awaited them once they were caught. As a Christian, I should be appalled. As a telepath who just got her house burned down and came dangerously close to being kidnapped – again, I just didn't care.

As if he knew what I was thinking, Eric brought me even closer to his body. "You know what must be done. It won't be quick for them," he stated quietly.

"Eric, I get what needs to be done but how am I going to be able to read them when all they'll be able to think about it how much pain they're in?"

"You will have the chance to read them. We need to know everything they know but after that, their lives are forfeit." His voice was stern and commanding. Looks like Sheriff Northman, Badass Vampire of Area Five was coming out to play.

I looked into his eyes and was met with something quite sinister. A thousand years of vampire brought to the forefront. A thousand years of being a killer; surviving in a harsh world where supernatural creatures take what they want and guard what they have fervently. It was chilling.

And just like that it was gone. His eyes were back to being the cool blue I knew as _my_ Eric.

"Are you going to tell Felipe about any of this?" I asked. "He would believe you, right? That I heard the wolves thinking about one of Victor's vampires?" Felipe hasn't been overly involved in Louisiana's political situation much since the take over.

"Felipe seems to be…selective in his beliefs. I have been petitioning him for several things, including Victor but he does not answer. He has himself tied to Nevada and doesn't seem to want to be bothered with us."

"Huh. So I guess he's going with the old, 'may the best vamp win' approach." See, they aren't so different from humans!

"Yes, I believe so." Eric was leaning back now, with one hand under his head and the other wrapped around me. "Victor will lose though. His attempts to undermine my businesses will fail miserably and he has no loyalty amongst his followers." Eric was smiling as he said it and completely smug about it. He could sound as smug as he wanted. I could still detect the undercurrent of worry through our bond.

"So it's a pretty good thing then that all the vamps in Area five are real loyal to you. What about in other areas?"

"There are a few. Rasul, unfortunately is in Michigan and can no longer act as my liaison in New Orleans but the information from his nest there is useful." Rasul was the acting spy for Louisiana.

"I think Heidi will turn on Victor. She likes it here and if you offered her human family protection, I don't think she'd ever be a problem for you." Look at me, bargaining for vampire spies.

He considered what I was saying before he spoke. "The problem is that Victor doesn't trust Heidi. I will offer her family protection since she will be useful in the future and because she seems to have taken quite a liking to you but she could never be a useful spy against Victor."

Eric was rubbing little circles across my ribs while we spoke. It was incredibly soothing and faintly tickled.

I traced the lines on his torso up and down and drew little patterns on him with my fingertip. I could tell he was enjoying it.

"So what is it that's preventing you from just taking him out?" I was a little tired of pussyfooting around the whole situation.

He gave me a funny look. "It's not that simple. "If I act against him, I need solid proof to bring to Felipe; otherwise, it would be an act of treason. And as of right now, I am outnumbered. There are barely two dozen vampires left in my area and barely half of them are from before the takeover. It isn't enough. Every attempt I make to contact Felipe is met with punishment by Victor." He voice was resigned and almost…tired?

"It's not within your rights as a Sheriff to contact him?" And here I always thought human bureaucracy was bad.

"It is but Victor has his own sense of entitlements. He believes all requests should go through him as regent. It doesn't matter to him that in acting this way he is causing the only profitable area in Louisiana to lose revenue. Everyone wants him in New Orleans to work on the reconstruction and make it profitable for the vampires and humans again."

"But he'd rather spend his time tormenting you by attempting to kill me and ruin your business?" Well, isn't that just lovely. Tara once had a replica made of "Mr. Pointy" for me as a gag. I hope I didn't lose it in the fire.

"Yes. The other sheriffs can never find him. He is always traveling, always putting money into these ridiculous ventures that break the profits of other vampire businesses. He cannot continue to manage the kingdom this way." He was trying to be calm about it but his agitation showed through and it was eating away at me.

That scene from _The Producers_ jumped into my mind. "How much do you think Victor is actually sending to Felipe? Compared to what he's taking in?" A plan was starting to form in my head. Yeah…definitely, that was a plan.

"Not much, I suspect. We all are very careful with what we say we bring in and what we pay in taxes to the king and government," he said thoughtfully. "What are you thinking?"

"What do you want to bet that Victor's got himself two sets of books and what he's keeping for himself is a hell of a lot more than what I'd figure as normal behavior for a vampire?" If he were one of _those_ types, he'd even have extra padded accounts for all that money.

"I'd bet you a new bed," he said with a little smirk. Then he kissed me.

That was the end of our Victor talk.

When I eventually came up for air, I remembered something.

"Hey, there is something I left in the hallway with my things. It a long rectangular case that got a bit singed in the fire. Can you get it, please?" I asked smiling up at him. "I would get it myself, but I am _very_ comfortable."

Eric wasn't too pleased at having to stop our mutual ministrations but he complied.

He was gone and back with the case in a vampire second. He set the case on top of the bed covers eyeing it and me with curiosity.

"You remember all the stuff that was in my living room from when Claude, Dermot and I cleaned out the attic?"

"I remember." He probably wasn't too happy with the memory since I had poured ice water on him and Pam for fighting in my kitchen. "That night hadn't gone as I had planed it too." Nope, definitely not a fond memory. Well, he was the one that decided to start hitting Pam. We still hadn't resolved that.

"Well, I came across something up there that made me think of you. Then it occurred to me that since we started this…" Thing? Marriage? Pledging? Pairing? Amalgamation? "relationship, I've never given you anything," I told him quietly while fingering the edge of the burnt case. "And I wanted to. Give you something, that is." I pushed it to him.

"You're giving me a present?" Eric had never sounded quite so shocked.

"What, haven't you ever gotten a present before?"

"No." Now it was my turn to be shocked. "Vampires are not in the habit of giving or receiving presents; at least not the type that come without some sort of favor or protocol."

"Something given that requires a favor in return isn't a present. It's an exchange. People in our type of relationship…well, I guess they give gifts to each other."

"Vampires have often presented other vampires with humans as gifts. Usually they were to show gratitude." Eric had that look on his face like he wasn't in room with me. He got that was occasionally when he remembered something particular about his past.

"Well, I guess it's a good thing times change, and also that I met you after the big vampire revelation." I'm doubly thankful that I never encountered a vampire before the Great Reveal. I'd be a handful; unglamourable and strong willed.

"Humph," he snorted. "You would never have been one of those controllable humans. You are far too stubborn," he said with a grin.

"But that's what you like about me." My turn to grin.

"It's one of many fine attributes, my lover." He leaned over the case to kiss my lips. "Now, let's see what mysteries lay in your attic."

At a human's pace, he pushed the case over so that we were sitting side by side with the case in front of us. He unsnapped it and opened it, revealing a large and gleaming sword encased in an intricate scabbard. The scabbard was intricately decorated with motifs representing the sky: suns and moons, clouds, stars and wind.

Eric lifted the sword up with both hands to examine the hilt; shock and confusion were evident on his face. "_This_ was in your attic?" He asked when he finally took his eyes off it to glance at me.

I nodded. "I think it belonged to Fintan since it looks nothing like a Civil War sword." (Which I would have kept for Gran's sake.)

"A Fae blade," was all he said.

The sword was comprised of a long, thin blade, similar to Japanese Tachi sword. (I googled it when I couldn't figure out what kind of blade it was. Now I was real educated on Japanese sword types.) It was close to three feet in length and had an intricate carving in another language at its base. The last eight inches or so were slightly thinner and curved upward to a very fine and sharp point. The hilt was interesting. It was made from some type of wood that I didn't recognize and the end was capped. When the cap was removed, it revealed a very pointed tip, fit it seems, for vampire killing. The blade could be wielded one handed or two and had two protective collars. I didn't understand the design until Eric jumped off the bed and into the open space of the bedroom, to take a few practice swings. The second collar was there for gripping in the event of using the handle as a stake.

Eric looked like a kid on Christmas morning – except much deadlier. And taller.

"I hope this doesn't mean I've repledged myself to you," I said lightly.

Eric stopped swinging. He stared at me for a second and I wondered if I had stepped over a line we had been walking lately. Then he burst out laughing. "No, Sookie, it doesn't," he said, putting the blade back into the scabbard. "Besides, we have no witnesses."

I laughed at that. "Thank god for that. You would lose your reputation if anyone saw you acting so happy." I stuck my tongue out at him.

"Only amongst a few fangbangers, who, consequently hold no interest for me anyway." He place the sword back in its case and moved it to the dresser before coming back to sit down next to me.

"Thank you for my present. This blade is a stunning piece of craftsmanship. It was both unexpected and welcome." He grabbed my face and kissed me again. It was slow and passionate and I was reminded again what a millennium of practice will get you. There was nothing quite like it.

One of his hands snaked to the back of my hair, gripping it at the nape and tugging it. The sting was adding to the little sparks of feeling that shot out of me every time he moved his hands on my body. His other hand moved to my back, gripping me, pulling me closer to him. My hands roamed up and down his bare chest before wrapping one around the back of his neck and the other on his hip.

We finally relented when Eric's movements became sluggish and heavy. Lying down together he whispered a final "thank you" in my ear before we both died for the day.

* * *

Several hours and another shower later I was up and making phone calls. It would take a while for the insurance claim to process but I was able to go through with contacting some contractors at Eric's recommendation. They had worked on his house and had installed his necessary "extras." I decided immediately against using Alcide's company. Alcide owed me a lot of favors for all the crap I've done for him but I had no interest in dealing with him while I went over plans to fix my house and he tried to tell me more about pack business and make overt sexual innuendos. At least Eric's innuendos were funny. I couldn't take them from Alcide anymore.

I would be meeting the contractors tomorrow morning for a damage assessment and time frame. Greg Aubert would be there. I really wasn't looking forward to going through the damage again. I decided then on the best thing to lift my spirits: shopping. I needed to pick out new furniture for most of the rooms.

Since neither Eric nor I seemed to have a car at the moment, I resorted to online shopping, bookmarking everything I would be getting. This would be the first time where all the furniture choices in the house, along with wall colors and anything else decorative would be mine and mine alone.

I ended up spending the rest of the afternoon bookmarking pages on Eric's computer from Macys and Ikea, picking out a new platform bed and dresser, a new desk, a new kitchen set (cabinets to be fixed separately) a new sofa to be placed in front of where I'll be moving the TV, along with two chairs to accent, side and coffee tables and a chaise to put in front of the fireplace. Those were the most important pieces. I could worry about what I lost from the upstairs later, once all the money had come in. I also had to call the electric, water and gas companies to have everything shut off.

I still had a fair amount of time until the sun went down since it was approaching summer and I had fallen asleep so early. I laid back down for a nap and my mind wandered back to Victor and how I felt like going very "Old Testament" on him. Maybe that's just how you have to deal with a vampire who wants you dead.

When I got up, maybe an hour before sunset, I called Amelia.

* * *

**EPOV**

Hearing what the wolves did to Sookie's home wasn't the worst thing I had ever heard. Vampires have employed wolves to do worse. Vampires have done worse. I've done worse. No, the most difficult thing was feeling what she felt as she described it.

Pain. Anger. Distress. Fear. Hatred. Sorrow.

Sorrow for everything she lost that belonged to her family. What vampire couldn't understand that? We have all experienced the feelings of loss and pain and separation from family and the things we held close to us.

Hatred for those responsible.

A vampire thinks nothing of losing possessions. We've all had to cope with the loss before. It surprised me that she was sorry for my car. She knew I was fond of it but as a replaceable material possession, in the end, it mattered little. Her car, on the other hand, she seemed more particular too, despite its…weathered appearance.

A vampire must always be prepared to give up everything they have and flee if the need arises. A vampire who isn't prepared for such an event will not last long. When one lives long enough, this becomes not a possibility but an eventuality.

In a power struggle, an event like this is practically expected. On another vampire.

Not at a human's home. Not at Sookie's home. There has already been one to many occasions where I've brought danger to her doorstep. Too many times where her life was nearly forfeit because of my own desire to claim her; to keep her as my own; to keep her with me. Two years ago, this would have been nothing to me. One simple week had to go and change everything.

I have every intention of finding every single wolf in Victor's employ and ripping them limb from limb while they howl for mercy. There won't be any. They will cry and they will beg and they will give up everything they know about their mission and Victor. Then they will die.

I had wanted to go over the details together with her and Pam. There could have been any number of small details she missed in her description of events that may have helped in their identification but by the time I turned around she was already asleep.

When Pam arrived the two of us loaded up with a long sword each and several small silver knives. If we were lucky enough to catch any of them tonight, we took bindings with us as well. Then we set out for Sookie's home and to meet Bill.

"Those motherfuckers." Pam exclaimed, from the burnt out porch.

The house was in shambles. While the main structure stood, it looked like a strong wind could knock it down at any moment. Burnt furniture littered the lawn. Sookie's family things were scattered like trash along a highway. Dozens of scents hung in the air filled with the acrid smell of smoke and burnt wood and fiber.

I called Bill. He's had plenty of time by now to search the area.

"I've done a preliminary sweep." Bill said. Bill might be a thorn in my side at times and his behavior suspect when it comes to Sookie; his complete devotion to her is useful.

"What did you find?" Pam was moving through the wreckage inside while I swept the surrounding area.

"I was able to track several distinct wolf scents east. Right now I'm approximately thirty miles east, toward Monroe. They ran in wolf form and their scent still lingers."

"Good. Continue tracking them. Pam and I will head toward Monroe and meet you when we're close."

I stepped into the house to look at the latest move Victor has tried. Memories of the nights we spent together flashed by me much the same as they did the night of the take over. The acrid smell of smoke hung heavily in the air. I could see where the firebombs impacted the walls and floors. Pam was in Sookie's bedroom. She looked oddly out place in the charred remnants of Sookie's room wearing her pale blue top and light colored slacks. When I approached her, I found her holding a small photograph of Sookie as a child with her grandmother. I remembered it had been stuck to the edge of the mirror. Most of it was curled and burnt, leaving only half of her face and body remaining in the photo.

"Don't even think for a second that you will be the only one who gets to kill them," she said.

"I wasn't even considering it."

"She saved you. Again." Pam said, with a slightly mystified expression.

"I know." Sookie mystified me too sometimes.

"You brought this on her." She said suddenly. She didn't use an accusatory tone. Just stated fact. "All of this…because Victor wants to discredit and destroy you." Pam was still looking at the photograph.

"I know you have survived worse from others. You are old and brave and a keen strategist. You are a warrior. You could be a king if you truly set your mind to it. But Sookie will not survive on bravery alone. She is an intelligent breather and she knows you well but she does not carry the experiences you do. At this rate, she will not survive long amongst our politics." Pam took the photo and placed it in her pocket before turning to leave the room.

Pam's words stung me. It bothered me that I couldn't keep Sookie from the dangerous elements in the vampire world. But at the same time, I am one of those dangerous elements. As a sheriff, it is a part of my existence now. I am tied by oath to serve the king doing what he bids. With that comes power and with power comes those who wish to take it from me.

Her words circled me again. They stung more because they were true. I pursued her. I wanted her. I wanted her to want me. I brought her to the attention of vampires like Victor Madden. Bill played his part but she is safer with me. If Sophie-Anne had gotten to her, she would be in Las Vegas by now. Sophie-Anne or Felipe would have no doubt attempted to turn her in an effort to preserve a telepathic vampire child. Even if Bill had never walked to her bar, her fae streak would have brought her to vampire attention eventually.

"Bill has picked up the wolves scents. He's tracking them east, toward Monroe. We need to go."

By the time we reached Bill's location we were only a few miles outside the city. Bill directed us to follow him out to a suburb edge. He kept his phone on as he ran, since all the wolves past by the nearby foliage.

Finally, he stopped in a clearing that contained a small, run down two-story old house. The place had fallen into disrepair but looked…almost habitable, if one was desperate.

"What a shithole," Pam stated.

"I don't know, Pam, I think it has a certain charm. Quiet area, nearby woods. Perfect for hostage taking."

"I prefer the people I tie up to be willing," Pam drawled. "At least in bed."

"Since when?"

"Since glamouring bedmates isn't necessary anymore."

Inside the dilapidated house are the remnants of a living room. The furniture is old and tattered with age. Garbage bags lined one wall and there were partially empty liquor bottles scattered around. It stunk of shifters and urine. Squatters.

"Bill, check upstairs. Pam, the back." They scattered in their directions as I moved about through the living, dining and kitchen area.

There were receipts in one trash bag, along with containers of take out food. The receipts were all for places in Monroe – the local Home Depot, the Stop & Shop, a few local dollar shops. One receipt held prospect. It was for a bar in the French Quarter in New Orleans.

The kitchen held nothing of interest aside from the filthy shifters eating habits. Well, they certainly didn't have a maid. These were the types of individuals used to surviving on a Spartan lifestyle. There was no excuse, however, for living in squalor.

Bill came down from upstairs with a folder in his hands. His fangs were down and his face was contorted in a rigid mask of barely controlled rage.

"These were in one of the bedrooms upstairs." Inside were several dozen photographs of Sookie. Some were taken at Merlotte's, some at Fangtasia and a few were taken looking in her house windows. There were pictures of me and of Bill and two with Pam. Each picture had the date and time marked, creating a timeline of her daily routine.

When I removed my hand from the counter there was a large indentation.

"There was nothing else?" I asked.

"No. Nothing that would tie it to Victor. Nothing with their names."

Pam came out from the back rooms with a grim expression on her face.

"Anything?"

"Nothing worth seeing," she said.

"Meaning what?"

"There was no information to be had," she snapped.

My eyebrows rose at her curt remark. I moved to the back before she could say anything else.

It wasn't enough for them to deliver Sookie to Victor. No, they wanted to have their own fun too. I could feel Pam and Bill behind me. I didn't look at them. They didn't say anything. I knew from Bill's expression just looking at the photos, this would make him want to explode.

The room had weak floorboards that creaked when I stepped on them. They were bare and looked like they'd give you a splinter as soon as you dared to step on them barefoot. The walls were painted a muted yellow, long fated and dirtied over time. The only piece of furniture in the room was a wire framed twin bed with a dirty mattress. Straps had been placed at each corner of the bed.

To the left side of the bed was large plastic bag filled with sexual paraphernalia.

"Let's go," I told them. There were a number of things running through my head that I hoped I would get the opportunity to inflict on these Weres.

We left the house quietly except for Pam, who stopped at the entry way. She went back to the living room and opened the remaining liquor bottles, spilling any leftover contents onto the floor. She moved away and removed a small book of matches from her purse. She lit one, set the book to light and threw it before leaving the house.

All signs pointed to New Orleans but there wasn't much more that could be done tonight. If anything, the Shreveport pack would be able to track them during the day. After making contact with Alcide and waiting for their trackers, we headed back to Shreveport.

* * *

The next night I woke to an empty bed. I could hear Sookie's voice moving through the house. I showered, dressed in simple black and braided my hair quickly. Normally, if Sookie is here, she likes to do it but I had Were hunting to do and I as much as I wanted to spend plenty of time with her tonight, I couldn't.

I found her in my office she had a webpage open on my computer. It was the website for "Vampire's Kiss," Victor's new bar, built with the intention of stealing my clientele. There were photos up of the bar with and without patrons. It was god awful and extremely tacky, even for a vampire.

"I suppose you've realized this place is directly on the route to yours," she stated in a carefully crafted monotone. Her anger was spiking up and down like the peaks on a seismogram.

"Yes, I've noticed." Noticed my profits diminishing while he steals my patrons.

"What are you going to do about that?" She asks, twirling the chair around to the side to face me and quirking an eyebrow.

"For now, nothing. Victor can open as many businesses as he wants. He is a horrible manager and the businesses will soon begin leaking money. Then Felipe will take notice." At least, that is what I hoped.

Of course this was all assuming Victor was still alive in the time it would take Felipe to notice.

"'Nothing.' It's like the mob," she said, looking at me. "My boyfriend's a mobster." Then she let out a short laugh.

"I am much more efficient than any mob." I smiled at her and leaned down to where my lips almost brushed her ear. "Also mobsters have a dirty habit of getting caught. I have no intention of being caught in any…wrongdoing." She shivered slightly as the breath from my last word touched her ear.

She grabbed my neck before I could lean back and pulled my lips to hers. Her other hand went up and around my shoulders, latching on to me like tasty, blond barnacle. Her fingers desperately twined around my already braided hair in an effort to pull me closer.

I pulled her out of the chair so that we were both standing; her hips up against my body and pressed as close to me as one can be without an operation.

The sound of my cell phone ringing interrupted us.

Alcide. "Northman."

"Our trackers followed the scent down to New Orleans. I've got six of my pack surrounding their place. It's on the outskirts of the city, near the airport."

"Good. Don't loose them. We'll be there soon and we will approach together."

"You're back in Shreveport, right? It will be hours before you get here."

"Not if I fly."

I kissed my goodbye to Sookie.

"Please be careful." I could feel her reluctance toward my leaving.

"Do you think a wolf can best me?" I wanted to kiss her again and prove her wrong.

"I've seen you fight wolves before. I know you can hold your own. But anything can happen. I just…I don't want to think about losing you. Yesterday I almost did." Her face was tinted red again with the look she had yesterday in the shower.

I gathered her in my arms and held her close. "You won't lose me. If these Weres were to best me, then I deserve it for letting such animals get the better of me."

Bill was waiting with Pam at her house, both dressed for fighting. Normally, I would never be in such close proximity to Bill but time was a factor. Eight wolves and three vampires would be more than enough to take care of Victor's little snatch and grab squad.

With them on either side of me, I wrapped my arms around them and we flew to New Orleans. There wasn't much to say on the way. The prospect of a good fight was upon us.

I landed us a few blocks from the New Orleans International Airport and phoned Alcide for the address.

"Herveaux, thank you for tracking them. You and your pack will be compensated." I hoped that he would be willing to settle for money.

"I'll settle for a favor at a later date."

Damn. "Very well."

The directions Herveaux gave us led us to a large two story brick building. It looked like it could be a two or three family house but from the scents, the only occupants were Weres.

"Your pack will have to enter first to invite us in."

"This seems too simple," said Bill. "What if Victor told them to allow themselves to be tracked here?" He was scanning the area looking for other threats.

"Victor's plan would have killed Eric and had Sookie brought here immediately. I doubt they would have cared who could have smelt them. Honestly Bill, use your head. They certainly didn't or they would have known she had fairies living in her house that could teleport." Pam was eyeing him with an expression that bordered between contempt and amusement. She couldn't be bored. We were to close to the fight.

"Are you bloodsuckers finished with your little gabbing fest? Can we go kill them now?" It was the young female Were, the one who came to Sookie's house and had the obsessive affection for Hearveaux.

"Jannalynn, while I understand it is in your nature to shift into a wolf, there is no need to act like a bitch all the time."

The bitch growled at me. My fangs slid down.

"Pam," I said, in my most soothing voice, "where's your leash?" My voice, combined with the view of my fangs startled the Were-bitch.

Alcide finally decided to say something. "Jannalynn, stand down and shut up. We have tactics to discuss." Well, at least the wolf had some of his cajones left. We still hadn't had words regarding his coercion of Sookie turning shaman for his pack.

"I will take Jannalynn and Pete with me through the front." He pointed Pete out, a lean young shifter in his twenties, approximately five foot seven with dusty blond hair, hazel eyes and a scar over his eyebrow. Neither of them was wearing shirts or shoes. "Gibson and Pedro will cover the rear entrance." He indicated the two Weres; Gibson was of medium stature with pale skin and dark brown hair. He had an angular nose and cleft chin. Pedro had the skin of someone from the equator, darkly tan, with dark eyes and a buzz cut. "Susan, Alejandro and Sinomo will stay outside to contain the perimeter incase any of them make it out." He indicated the remaining wolves in various states of undress. "Once we enter the front, we'll invite you in."

"And which of you plan to invite us in if you're all in wolf form?" Bill asked, frowning.

Apparently, they hadn't thought of that.

Well, kudos to Bill.

Alcide looked conflicted. He wanted to get into the fight just as quickly as I did. But someone needed to remain in their human form to say the magic words.

"I will do it. As packmaster, it should be me, anyway."

"Good. I will enter through the front with you. Pam and Bill, take the back."

If they were stupid enough to leave a clear scent trail here, they were stupid enough not to anticipate a quick retaliation.

"We will need to keep a few of them alive."

The Weres shifted, except for Alcide. I would break down front door at the same time Pam would break through the back. Alcide and Jannalynn would enter together and he would invite us in.

It was quick. As soon as Jannalynn entered with Alcide, she ran in the direction she scented the other Weres. Two of them were in the living room watching some sporting program. They hadn't time yet to shift.

Her growling alerted them as we entered the room and she leaped over the couch, her teeth going straight for the first one's throat.

I grabbed the other as he started to shift and wrenched his arm clean off. He cried out and clutched the bleeding hole that was his shoulder, effectively stopping his shift. Blood sprayed out of the hole and the amputated arm. I kicked him to the floor and let him watch as I sucked the blood from the arm I held.. I tossed it to him when I was done. He would bleed out soon. I glamoured him to remain still. I felt joyous. There is nothing like the bloodlust from a fight. The excitement. It flooded by body.

Jannalynn was still ripping away on the other one, which was just a body by now. A body that looked like something Sookie once called "chop meat." Blood coated her snout and fur. She was completely vicious. A killing machine.

I moved quickly to where I heard noises. Pam was toying with a wolf in one of the back rooms. Her fangs were down and she had blood dripping down her chin. Droplets were staining her shirt. Some of her hair had escaped its braid. She was smiling.

My child is an excellent fighter. I taught her well. The wolf lunged at her, going straight for her throat. Pam side stepped it, landed behind the wolf, and dealt a sickening crunch to the back of its spine. The wolf whimpered and whined at the impact before collapsing and shifting back. He wasn't dead yet, just paralyzed.

I moved in toward another behind her. I laughed at the thought of a wolf trying to get the drop on _my_ child. I grabbed it by the back of its neck with my hand and threw him down to the ground with a hard thud. I was bigger than the Were in its wolf form but he was heavier. He threw me off and we rolled until I hit a wall. The wolf sunk his teeth into my outstretched arm. It lapped at the blood, snarling and kicking with its back legs.

I ripped the wolf off my arm with my free hand. It fell back toward my legs and before it could stand back up I had its upper and lower jaws in my hands and pulled them apart in opposite directions. Blood drenched my hands and forearms.

The wolf's body hit the ground with a dull thump. I dropped its lower jaw onto the body as it shifted back into a man.

Pam had disappeared.

I moved out of the room and followed the sounds of snarls and growls. I was aching for more. Two wolves weren't nearly enough.

Upstairs the sounds of fighting continued. Bodies fell and made hard thunking sounds. The sounds of heartbeats were rapid and distinct to the two-natured. Their pulses always ran quicker than the average human. There were ripping and clawing sounds coming from one room opposite the steps. Then I heard a long snarl, a non-wolf snarl. Bill.

Then nothing.

Adrenaline from the fight started to calm down in the Weres and the bloodlust plateaued.

In one room a naked Gibson sat cradling a broken arm and smiling languidly while an unconscious shifter with a broken leg and blood running from his nose and ear lay on the floor.

I found Bill in another, already healed; his shirt striped with gashes down the middle and a drained but not yet dead Were with two broken arms and slightly mauled throat. His fangs were still down and he looked practically jovial.

"Bill." I nodded.

"Eric." He nodded back. "All is well?"

"I think so. I haven't seen Pam yet but she is not in any pain." I could feel her through our bond, nearby on the top floor. She was absolutely gleeful.

"I enjoy these simple victories." He said while he wiped a bit of blood off his cheek.

"I had hoped to get more of them," I told him. I thought they would put up more of a fight.

"So did I. There is always next time."

And there most certainly will be a next time.

I thought of Sookie and I wanted to kill the Weres again.

Alcide was also naked, breathing heavily and leaning over Pedro who had taken some deep lacerations to his torso and leg.

"Your pack members?" I asked him.

"Pedro here took the worst I think. Those Weres weren't much more than hired muscle. They had no training to fight the likes of us."

"Good. You have the van for the leftovers?"

"Yeah, it's parked about two blocks back. I'll have Alejandro bring it around for you."

Pam came down from the third floor dragging another naked and unconscious shifter by the arm down the steps. She looked beautiful in her post fighting visage and was near rosy with color.

With ever step she took down, his head made a little thwacking noise.

"You look well," I said.

"I am well, Eric. Thank you for catching that filthy shifter who snuck up behind me."

"Of course." She would have been fine. Angry at being jumped, but fine.

The rest of Alcide's pack members started emerging from their last spots of battle and moving to exit the house – with naked cargo.

Jannalynn was covered in blood, although none of it hers.

Pete had a long gash down his back but was otherwise unscathed.

I went to the room to find the wolf whose arm I had ripped off. He had bled out during the melee.

By the time Alcide's wolves got dressed and Alejandro and retrieved the van, we had five of Victor's wolves to take with us back to Shreveport for interrogation.

"Can we play with them first, Eric?" Pam asked.

I wanted to. Desperately, I wanted to. I felt the need to destroy everything these animals ever knew.

"No, Pam. Sookie should read them before they become completely incoherent." After all, I did promise that too her. "Then we can have fun."

* * *

**A/N: Well, I hope my Eric PoV was written well. There was an important difference for me in his thought patterns between this point in time and the franticness that he had in his earlier PoV. I hope it came across well. **

**Don't forget to review!**

**Next chapter: What did Sookie talk about with Amelia? How did she get back at Victor? What's Freckles up to?**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N:** _I have a new banner! Check it out here or on my profile: _

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I've been considering posting a summary of everything with the next chapter. Please let me know in the reviews if that's something people would be interested in. With updates only once or twice a week, I know everyone forgets things.

Thank you all who have left me such interesting and insightful reviews. I always look forward to seeing my inbox full of them.

Disclaimer: All characters belong to Charlaine Harris, with the exception of OC Enki Berg.

* * *

**Chapter 13**

"_If you knew what was going to happen, if you knew everything that was going to happen next – if you knew in advance the consequences of your own actions – you'd be doomed. You'd be ruined as God. You'd be a stone. You'd never eat or drink or laugh or get out of bed in the morning. You'd never dare to."_

_- Margaret Atwood_

* * *

November 9th

Today was my kind of day. Why, you ask?

Because there was hardly any time to think.

Today was the start of the environmental convention at the hotel. Scientists, university professors, students, and the big kahuna types who fund these kinds of things were all converging on the hotel from all over Australia and other parts of the South Pacific.

It was a big deal for the hotel to host. They would be here for a few days and I was one of the people to help with the organization and set up. There were going to be lots of speakers and presentations, rooms with poster setups and demonstrations. It was similar to the convention Sam took me too once, only instead of bar owners and retail booths, there were boards for environmental projects.

All in all, I never gave much thought to environmental concerns, aside from recycling and making sure I made efficient use of my water, gas and electric but seeing so many educated people here discussing concerns I would never haven known even existed brought out a little extra piece of my brain I hadn't had the chance to use it a while. What with all the survival skills I had to learn taking over.

I wish I had time to listen to some of these presentations all the way through properly but I had a job to do. I had to make sure things were running smoothly – that is, on schedule, papers weren't getting lost on their way from one room to another, microphones were properly set up by AV and buffet tables were properly stocked. There had to be information available to the guests from out of the city; things they could do in their free time, places to go and see.

In a lot of ways it wasn't all that different from working at Merlotte's. People were generally more polite here, but I was still getting called in every which way possible. All the buzzing was giving me a headache but at least it was keeping me occupied.

All around me people were thinking about ocean wave heights, air content, soil content and other related topics, more or less meshing with what they were saying. It made the concentrating easier and let me focus on my own tasks.

Last night was a big free-for-all of emotions and memories. For his part, Enki more or less just sat and listened as it all poured out.

It was a regular plethora of pent up feelings.

When Eric went off to…tail the wolves, I could feel it when he found them. His exhilaration, his anger, his joy at what I suspected was the killing. Since we bonded, the only times he's physically fought, I'd been with him and we'd both been caught up in the feelings of the moment. If he had fought when I wasn't there, he at least hid it well.

Since I'd had a few hours to process some of what happened, the shock had started to wear off. It got replaced with anger – a whole hornet's nest full of anger. Rationally, there were probably a few people I shouldn't really be angry at, since I made certain choices too but in those moments I couldn't help it. I was angry at pretty much everyone; at Bill for bringing vampires into my life; at Eric for bringing vampire politics into my life; at Sam for trying to speechify me at exactly the wrong time; at Bud for thinking everything bad that happens in the town is somehow my doing; at Alcee Beck for intimidating the black members of the community because he could get away with it. Hell, I was mad at Claudine for dying.

And just then my mind was getting surround sound into Eric's feelings of anger, thrill and all around bloodlust. I felt his anger and his joy in their suffering all through the night until I finally fell asleep. I didn't want to imagine then, what kind of state the wolves would be in when he got them to Shreveport.

It wasn't good. Then, when I had gotten all the information I could from them, which unfortunately wasn't much in their state, I could feel him all over again. The desire to kill and destroy something alive.

I didn't blame him or anything. The wolves knew the consequences of what they were doing if they failed. What was I supposed to do about that? Feel guilty? Not hardly. They got what they deserved…with interest. That might have been the pent up anger talking.

"I've never met anyone blood bonded to a vampire before," Enki told me. He looked thoughtful. I guess he was remembering what vampire-human…interactions he knew. Maybe a few ended well?

"It must be strange, to feel what he feels. How do you manage it?" That was like asking how I manage when it rains.

"I just do, I guess. I can't really shut it off. Sometimes I have to remind myself what feelings are his and what are mine." Usually the anger was Eric's. Mostly.

"It can be comforting though, sometimes. He's sort of got this presence in my mind, like a buzz in the back of my head. I always know when he wakes for the night or goes to sleep, if I'm awake when he does. I feel happy when I see him." Like having an Eric amphetamine.

"The bond does that?" His mouth had crunched up into an odd expression of wariness.

"It lets me feel when he's near, and when he's near we feel happy in each other's presence. I don't know if that's the two of us reacting to each other or the bond but that's what it's like when we're near each other. It has a way of…making him seem more human, to me." That was one of those things I thought a lot about since we bonded in Rhodes. Why would I need to see him as more human? There were reasons and none of the ones that came up to me seemed like good ones for the human.

"I feel tied to him though."

"And you don't want that." He stated, as if it were the most obvious thing under the sun. Or moon.

"I love Eric. But I don't want to be tied to him. I want to know that everything I feel, it's my own. I want to know that Eric wants me, wants to be with me without any ties –without the security the bond offers him." The bond felt so tight at times I thought I would suffocate under it. I wanted Eric. I wanted him so bad sometimes it hurt. With the bond in place it was like to he was always occupying a part of my consciousness.

"Was he going to turn you? It is the normal ritual beforehand." Enki was real interested in that. He had bent forward on my couch with his elbows on his knees.

"He wants to but I made him promise that he wouldn't." I bit my lip. As a vampire, I would never be my own. "I don't want to be a vampire."

Enki smiled indulgently. "You are lucky you live in the years of choice."

"I know." Then again, I wonder if vampires hadn't come out of the coffin, maybe Hadley would never have met the Queen.

"Amelia and I had spoken at length about what happened. I told her what I wanted to do. I wanted Victor to pay for what he'd done," I told him.

"I wanted to hit Victor where it would hurt the most. There was no way I could ever physically overpower him. I didn't know where his resting place was and it wasn't like I could read his mind to get at his bank accounts." That would have been as good as getting Al Capone on tax evasion.

"So I hit him back in the only place I could." Thinking on it now, I may have acted rashly. "His business."

Enki's eyebrows hit the ceiling. He was completely engrossed. We should have long gone back to practicing but I couldn't help it. I hadn't even told this to Eric. I mean you can't plead guilty to something you don't know about, right?

"_You sure you want to do this, Sook?"_

"_More than anything," I said. I had been in New Orleans only a day and tomorrow morning I would have to drive back so that I could work the dinner shift. It was a few days after the fire. _

"_There's no going back if you do this. You can't magic everything back to normal."_

"_I know the risks." I was in my very angry place. I couldn't get myself out. I knew if I allowed myself to think too much about what I was doing, I would either not go through with it or do something like tell Eric. That would be a bad idea._

Plausible deniability, _I told myself._

"_Alright, Sook. You remember the chant?" She asked, handing me several small, black pouches filled with I had no idea what. _

"_Yep. Say it under my breath three times in succession once all the pouches are placed. How long will we have until it works?"_

"_By right…it should take a few hours for all the ingredients to effectively mix after the chant." She pulled her lips together and grabbed the book laid on the coffee table. _

_Uh-oh. "Amelia?"_

"_Yes?"_

"_Are you sure?"_

"_Umm…I'm sure. Perhaps ninety-five percent sure."_

"_Amelia. You cannot be ninety-five percent sure. Because if this is the five percent category…well, we'll be fucked." I'll worry about my language tomorrow. I was more concerned with the horrible things that might happen if something went wrong._

"_It'll work, Sookie. Trust me." She closed the book and looked at me. "It will work." There was some finality to her voice. _

"_Good."_

_Now I would just have to wait for the right time. _

_Opportunity knocked a few days later._

_xxx_

"_He wants us both there," Eric said, stone-faced. _

"_What for?" My face moved into a skeptical expression; eyes narrowed, mouth to quirked up on one side._

_We were sitting in Eric's office while he worked on some of his sheriff papers. I was going through a book Amelia had lent me. _

"_I don't know. That's what bothers me." Eric didn't like being pushed in a corner any more than I did. _

"_Maybe he wants to ask how we didn't die…again, in your case." I chuckled at that. I'm going to be a regular basket case soon. _

_He laughed a little too. "I am quite sure he would like to know that, though I doubt he'll outright ask. If anything, he knows of your connection to the fairies. He may have presumed you…popped." Eric made a little bursting motion with his fingers in the air. _

_I muffled a snort. "Right. My newly developed fairy gift. It just so conveniently developed after…"I stopped then and glanced in another direction, any former humor lost. I still couldn't bring myself to say it. I swallowed. "January." _

_Eric realized his little gaffe and moved on. "He wants to show off his new club. Or at least, that's the ruse he's using. I have been avoiding it at every interval but he has finally demanded my presence…and told me to bring my wife."_

_We went on like this for a while longer. Eric had bought me a very pretty bronze, pleated dress for the occasion. Here's hoping I didn't get blood all over it. _

_He dressed in perfectly fitted black pants that displayed all his finest ass…ets, wingtip leather boots and a pale grey button down shirt with several of the buttons open. I braided his hair for him._

_After the first time Eric mentioned Victor's new club it figured that at some point we'd end up there. So it stood to reason I would need to know everything I could about it. Funnily enough, Victor had the wherewithal to hire a web designer to make a website for his club. Said website included pictures. _

_Pam had met us in the club parking lot complete with bruises covering her face. Eric had sent her ahead to scout the place. At least, that's what I was assuming. Who knew what Victor had planned when we got there. I mean, he didn't even reserve his Sheriff a parking space!_

_I felt bad about Pam. She wasn't doing too well lately, all around. Whatever was going on with her, she had been sulky and distracted for a while. Now, she was taking the brunt force of Victor's lackeys just to scout the area. But that was her job as Eric's second. If he told her to take a beating, she took a beating. But I reasoned, whatever they did to her, the other guy had to look a hell of a lot worse. _

_Was it wrong that I should feel good about someone else getting a beating? Maybe. I'd worry about it later. _

_Vampire's Kiss was a garish display of Victor's power and desire. Hundreds of people packed into the space, dancing, gyrating and filled with thoughts of vampire sex in or out of the skimpy, Goth looking clothing they thought attracted vampires. The vampires that worked there didn't look too pleased in their uniforms either. It was like an advertisement for a B and D club. _

_Who would have guessed Victor was a Bubba fan?_

_We found Victor surrounded by his groupies in a U-shaped booth with a large wooden table in front of it. He had two fangbangers, a couple I later realized, named Mark and Mindy flanking him. Two vampires, wearing what looked like leather boy shorts stood behind him on either side. Another human, sat off to the side by herself. Immanuel's sister._

_Pam was as quiet and unmoving as I'd ever seen her. Eric's feelings were off the charts and everywhere at once. You would never have guessed it. _

_Eric sat nearest to Victor and I sat between him and Pam. The vulnerable human in an otherwise impenetrable wall. _

_Fairy politics? Really? That's what he wanted to ask me about?_

"_I try to keep myself out of politics." If _only politics wouldn't keep dragging me in, _I thought. _

_This was my chance. Before Victor could ask me anything else about fairies or about what kind of shampoo I was using, I excused myself to the bathroom, with Pam following me. _

"_Are you sure we should leave Eric there alone?" I asked, once we were safely in the confines of the bathroom. _

_Pam gave me one of her are-you-serious looks. "Come now, my telepathic friend, you know Eric can take care of himself. You need to worry about you." _

"_I know he can handle himself but what if Victor tries something more subtle?"_

"_Subtle is hardly in Victor's repertoire. I don't believe it's really in Eric's either."_

"_Ha." I snorted. Subtle? Eric? Really. _

_I went into the stall at the far end. I didn't have to go to the bathroom. I took one of the black pouches Amelia gave me and placed it behind the toilet tank. _

"_Pam," I said, when I came out, "I need you to do something for me. It's really important." I gave her my best serious expression. _

"_Do tell me, dear Sookie, what is so gravely important that you needed to pretend to use the human lavatory."_

_I took out another one of the small black pouches and pressed it into her cool hand, folding her fingers over it. Then I moved close to her so I could whisper._

"_I need you take this and place it somewhere around the bar, somewhere no one will see it by human or vampire eyes." I stood back to see if she was getting me. _

_She looked from the pouch in her hand to me and then back to the pouch. Skepticism was etched on her now bruise free face. "Do I want to know?"_

"_No." Plausible deniability. _

"_Alright then." She turned to go. "Come, we shouldn't leave the boys to their own devices for too long."_

"_And Pam," she turned back. "Don't tell Eric." _

_That got a reaction. _

"_Sookie. You know if Eric asks, I will have to tell him. _

"_If Eric commands you, you have to tell him. What you don't know, you can't tell." Plausible deniability. _

_Pam quirked the corner of her mouth up into a little half smile. Her fangs poked out just a smidge. "Sookie, my dear, I do believe you're learning."_

_At the juncture between the booth and bar, we parted ways and I went to sit near Eric again and placed my purse behind him. He was sitting nonchalantly, slightly slouched, with his shoulders back against the booth, one leg crossed at the ankle and taking up a lot of space. The bond told a different story. _

_Victor, on the other hand, looked slightly agitated, despite the best efforts of Mark and Mindy. It wasn't readily noticeable but when you hang around vampires long enough, one picks these things up. _

"_What were you up to, my lover?" Eric whispered in my ear when I sat. Victor was eyeing us up and down like he was looking for chinks in our armor to stick a sword through. _

_Rather than answer him, I gave him a little kiss on the lips. Partly so I didn't have to answer him and partly to give a little show._

"_My dear, you certainly are something special to have wrapped our lovely Viking so well around your delicate fingers." Oh, boy. _

_Eric froze mid-kiss before disentangling himself. Boo. That was the most enjoyable part of the evening so far. _

_He gave me a lazy smile before turning scary sheriff on Victor. It seemed like the two of them were engaging in a silent struggle. _

"_Sookie is quite special," he said, slowly, cautiously. "And it's hardly her fingers that just wrap around me." He did not just say that in front of the vampire that could kill us all!_

_Leave it to Eric to break the tension with a sex joke._

_Victor broke his cool, tight lipped smile to offer a small laugh._

_While they were enjoying their little joke about my legs, I slipped the pouch out from purse, every so often caressing his back. If the little vibrations from the bond were any indication, he was enjoying himself. _

_I was nervous. There was a big possibility of getting caught right now. I'm sure Eric picked up on it but he didn't so much as spare a glance. I shoved the little pouch into the cushions between the back and the base as far as I could without giving myself away before going back to stroking Eric's back lightly. I said the chant under my breath. Done. _

"Did you ever find out what was in the pouches?" He asked.

"No. And I don't really care either, since it worked…even more than I thought it would." I looked away from Enki, out the windows that were my back wall. "Let's go sit on the terrace."

We moved out there to sit in my bamboo chairs, where we had a clear view to the water a few blocks away.

"You don't seem too happy about whatever you did working," he stated, looking at me.

I looked out over the water, which was dark, a midnight blue in the night. Lights from the buildings stretched over the shoreline and danced on the dark water.

"I am…I'm glad that it worked." But there were casualties. "There a few things…I guess I didn't think about that happened."

"Sookie, you can't beat yourself up over that sort of thing. Life will always bring with it the unexpected and the unexplained. You can't plan for everything and even when you try, there will always be something that comes up to throw you a curveball." I laughed at his unexpected baseball idiom. I wondered where he learned it.

"I got up early the next day, since I had to drive to Bon Temps for a lunch shift at eleven. I wasn't sure what to expect. Amelia didn't give me exact details so I really had no idea what I would see if it worked. By then Eric had secured himself a temporary car from his insurance until his new one arrived. I was still waiting on my insurance money so I borrowed his.

"When I got to the neighborhood where the club was, my jaw literally dropped. It was a complete inferno. I started seeing the smoke in the air from a couple miles out. By the time I reached the actual sight, I was in abject shock. I just couldn't believe it.

"The club had been just," I needed a breath, "completely leveled by fire." That Amelia. When she wants to get something done, by god, she goes all out. "There were two fire trucks, the SFD were everywhere and police were trying to keep the crowd and news media away. I didn't stop. Just drove past."

When I told Amelia what I wanted to do, I didn't think she'd get so…carried away.

"Huh," was all he said.

"Were you happy?" He asked, quietly.

"What do you mean?"

"Were you happy that you were successful in burning down his club?"

"Are you kidding? I was happy as a clam. Sam hadn't seen me so chipper for a lunch shift since…well, since a long time ago." Well, like someone once said, "happiness comes in small doses."

"I got back to Eric's around six. Being late spring he was still asleep so I went up to one of the non-light tight rooms and fell back asleep. He woke me a few hours later.

"_Lover," he whispered. _

"_Hmm?" I was having such a nice dream. _

"_I have just received the most…interesting news," he said. His voice was uncharacteristically slow and somewhat bemused. _

"_The Saints won the superbowl?" Hey, a girl can pray. _

"_You know, it's not even football season." I felt his hand brush the hair out of my face. _

"_You figured out how to bake?" That would be nice too. _

"_Did you want me to take up baking?" He was amused and his lips were curled up. His fangs were down. _

"_Hmm…that is tempting. I bet you would taste phenomenal with chocolate icing," I teased. _

"_I think I taste perfectly well now."_

"_Oh, sure you taste nice. But noting can top chocolate icing. Sorry." I was trying at least look like I was being serious. _

_He grabbed me and pulled me on top of him so that I was prone against his long body so suddenly I didn't have time to react. _

"_Are you sure you don't want to reconsider?" He asked, with a raised eyebrow and tug of his lips. _

_I inhaled. He did smell pretty good. I stuck my tongue out and touched the tip of his nose with it. _

"_Hmm…a little dry." I tasted him again. "I think…we need a little something else." _

_He flipped me over at vampire speed and I screeched. He stuck his face into the crook between my neck and shoulder and inhaled. Then he took a long lick with his tongue up my neck. "Well lover, I would say the same about you but…that would be a lie."_

_We stayed like that for awhile. Just looking at each other. _

"_What did you want to tell me?" I finally asked, even though I had a pretty good idea._

_Eric looked pensive for a moment before he responded. "It would seem that our dear regent's new club mysteriously caught fire sometime this morning."_

"_Huh." Yep. Knew that. "Well, that's certainly interesting."_

"_You aren't surprised." _

_Oh, shit. _

"_Should I be? I mean, Victor, I'm sure has got a lot of enemies."_

"_Including us. As sheriff, I will be required to partake in the investigation."_

"_Oh." Yeah, real eloquent. "What else have you heard so far?"_

"_A few humans died in the explosion. Part of the cleaning crew. Since it went off during the day, we can only suspect vampire deaths were not the goal."_

_Human deaths weren't the goal either. _

"_You are sad." Goddamnit. Stupid blood bond. _

"_Well, humans died. That makes me sad."_

"_I don't understand. You didn't know them. Why do you feel guilty?"_

_Stupid, stupid bond. It was a reasonable question. "They were innocent. They didn't do anything but show up for their jobs." And it was my fault. _

"_No one is innocent. Would you have felt this way if a vampire you didn't know died in the fire too? They may not have done you wrong personally, but they are hardly innocent beings in their vampire lives. "_

_Eric was two for two on the stumpers. "I don't know." That was God's honest truth. _

_Eric seemed satisfied that he'd stumped me on my moral quandary. _

"Eric had to work with a few other vampires and Victor to figure out what happened to the club and who was responsible. They never did, concretely anyway. Though I had a feeling Eric had his suspicions." He wasn't a stupid man. "I never found out if Pam told him anything."

"And Victor? If Eric had his suspicions, surely Victor did as well."

"Oh, Victor believed it was all somehow Eric's doing, despite him never leaving Victor's sight the entire time we were there."

That's the thing about vampires. Most of them think so little about humans that they forget what we're capable of.

"He had no evidence against Eric, so he couldn't do anything. But that didn't stop him from coming after us. Or, more specifically me."

"Let me guess. He tried to kill you again?" Enki was teasing but it wasn't really that funny. Unless you count all his former colossal failures as funny. I guess they kind of were. If you were Pam.

"No. Well…Victor took a different approach. Eric told me the following evening after the human investigators left, the vampires conducted their own sweep of the damage. Even with all the other scents mixed in, they were able to determine the faint scent of magic."

"But the scent of various magics are not specific to an individual. All spells leave a residue of the magic, not of the person casting." He stated that fact as if he were telling me why we have earthquakes.

"I guess they figured that out too because they rounded up every known witch in Area five to see if they were involved."

Enki raised an eyebrow and the corner of his mouth quirked up.

"Obviously, they didn't find the culprit. But they did expand the search. I thought Amelia would be safe in New Orleans. She had an alibi, and she's still under her tutor."

"What did they do to her?" He prompted when he realized I'd stopped.

"I don't know exactly, because she doesn't remember all of it. By then my house had just been finished and I was on my way there after working a dinner shift at Merlotte's. I found her on the side of the road near the turn off on Hummingbird Road.

"She was…in bad shape." I opened my mind up so he could see what she looked like. A mass of broken limbs, blood and bruises. Dirt had gotten into some of her wounds from the road. One eye was swollen closed and there was blood coming from the side of her mouth. "She was in and out of consciousness on her way to the hospital. I couldn't make anything out then; her brain was a foggy mess of glamour and pain.

"Later, while she was in orthopedics, I called Eric and Pam to let them know what happened. They were at Fangtasia and Eric still had to spare time to work on how someone could have attacked Victor's club. He knew it was a fruitless endeavor but he still had to look busy. Pam, I figured would be slightly more invested. Maybe. I didn't know if I should call her father yet. They aren't always on speaking terms.

"The doctor gave a real harrowing list of all her injuries. As you can see," I said, pointing to my head. "They'd had her for a while, it looked like. When we got in to see her, it wasn't long before dawn. Pam and Eric couldn't get away until after closing. After some pleading, Pam relinquished a few drops of her blood to help.

"As it turned out, she never told the vamps anything. There were flashes in her mind of an Asian looking vampire and of Victor, himself. It was like they wanted her to remember just enough; like who had hurt her and for what purpose but she couldn't remember what they asked her. She couldn't remember anything about the pouches she gave me. My guess is that she cast a spell on herself to forget."

"It's a dangerous game you played, Sookie but I guess you knew that," he said, cautiously. "Casting a memory spell on one's self is tricky business. I've seen those go horribly wrong. Smart though, in a way, she must have guessed someone might look into her."

"I guess it was. It saved her."

"Why do you think they let her live?"

"I'm not sure. Vampires like Victor aren't known for their mercy. I guess it was to send a message. He wanted me to see what she'd gone through, since I'd be able to see it in her head."

And there I was thinking about yesterday, again! Damn, I needed to focus. People were calling me all over the place. The convention was winding down for the day. There would be a large gathering tonight on the third floor promenade for the convention guests to mingle and that was nearly all set up to start at nine.

I was moving from room to room helping the other staff to clear the rooms of unnecessary equipment.

"Those mics are going to AV," I told Sergio. He was coiling several audio cords into a large case. "Don't bring them to the promenade."

There was plenty of untouched open food. Some of it gets taken home by the staff. Whatever's left, the hotel gives to a nearby shelter. I wish Bon Temps had something like that.

Finally, the clean up was done. I left the last of the conference rooms to the cleaners who would be in to vacuum shortly. Thankfully, I didn't have to attend the cocktail session. I had already put in long past my shift and was ready to go home, eat, shower and go to bed. If only.

I was grabbed from behind. Before I knew it, I was out of the main hallway and pushed up near an exit door. A long arm had my right arm firmly pinned to my side and ensnared my waist. Another hand came up to cover my mouth.

I screamed. The sound was muffled by the hand that covered my mouth. The hand I realized belonged to a vampire. There was a void behind me. I started to scratch and pull and kick at him but it was like fighting with concrete. He only tightened his grip. I'd have bruises tomorrow.

I heard him take a deep and audible inhale from my neck. I heard a familiar _snick. _"He didn't say he was sending me after a fairy." Freckles.

Oh, shit! The potion.

He sunk his teeth in. The pain was excruciating. The last time a vampire bit me this painfully was the trunk in Jackson. I felt myself starting to dizzy.

I let myself go slack for a moment, remembering. I would never be caught unaware again. I dove into the pocket of my slacks, retrieving my silver butterfly knife. It swung open and I shoved the blade into his left thigh.

He pulled his fangs from my neck and howled in pain.

I pulled the knife out quickly and brought out my elbow to shove the knife back into him, this time in his side, near his kidney.

He howled again and I broke off the blade inside him. I could already smell his burning flesh.

He dropped his arm from me to cradle his side and I ran for it. I was dizzier still and I couldn't make myself run in a straight line.

_I have the advantage_, I told myself. _I know the hotel better than he does. _I also have keys to all the staff areas.

I ran as fast as I could to the staff elevator and dove in, making my way down to the first floor. I could "hear" the void slowly moving closer. The silver had weakened him. Good.

When the elevator dinged again, I ran to the staff area behind reception. I needed my purse. It had my house keys. He wouldn't risk attacking me with so many people around, would he?

Except, I realized, there wasn't anyone around. Everyone was busy with the convention. And I had a gaping neck wound.

Could I risk going home? Did he know where I lived? The hotel wasn't safe right now.

I had to go somewhere. Preferably somewhere I could fix the big hole in my neck.

Ok, deep breath. Step one: I grabbed my purse from my locker.

Step two: There was a first aid kit in the multipurpose locker. I grabbed it and opened it, searching for gauze. I grabbed a handful of swabs and held them to my bleeding neck. My hand was already covered in blood. I took the kit and carried it under the arm I was using to hold the gauze.

Step three: how do I get out of here? Oh…hello, brilliant idea. How nice to make your acquaintance.

The hotel had their own small fleet of trucks, mostly for deliveries and pickups. The keys would be locked up in Nicki's office.

I opened the staff door slowly. Nicki, by right should be overseeing everything on the promenade.

I felt bad about searching through her desk but I wasn't exactly going to stop. After a minute of searching I finally found what I was looking for in a metal box full of keys. I grabbed one connected to a Toyota electronic key lock and made a running dive for the parking garage. I'd bring it back tomorrow.

The whole time I was trying to keep track of where Freckles had gone off too but there were so many other voices in the hotel, I was having trouble focusing. Finally I caught him. He'd made his way down to the first floor. He was still moving slowly. Maybe he was trying to sniff me out?

Lucky for me the staff areas weren't anywhere near him and I reached the garage sweating and out of breath.

Shit.

Australians drive on the other side.

Fuck.

Ok. No big deal. I can do this.

Once I located the car, a black, four door sedan, I got in – from the right side and took a breath. Then I locked the doors and slowly drove away from the hotel.

My apartment wasn't very far. It should have only taken five minutes or so driving but it took fifteen because I was going so slowly. Other drivers were honking at me. I didn't care.

On the way to my floor, I ran into two other people from my building in the elevator. I realized I must have looked like something the cat dragged in.

They gave me some funny looks.

"Yes?" I asked, smiling really wide. "Something I can help you with?" I _may_ have sounded more snide than polite.

They promptly turned back to stare at the elevator doors.

Yeah, I thought so.

Once inside, I dropped my things and made it to the bathroom. Then I threw up.

_Ugg. Come on, Stackhouse,_ I told myself. _You're tougher than this._

I pulled the gauze from my neck and looked in the mirror. Yikes.

There were two prominent puncture wounds in my neck and bruises were already starting to form around them and on my face. I'm sure by tomorrow there will also be some on my waist and arm.

I stripped off my now bloodied shirt and washed my hands from the blood, using the washcloth hanging on the ring to wipe the blood from my neck. It was still oozing a little.

There was some ointment in the kit and I rubbed some of it on a large gauze bandage, put it to my neck and taped it there with some medical tape. Just as I finished, my cell phone rang.

I hope it's not someone from the hotel.

I took it out from my pocket, looking at the caller ID.

"Hello, Great-Grandfather."

"Hello, my child. I hope you are well." Hmm. Well, I am alive. I suppose we'll consider that well, for now.

"I'm alright, and yourself?"

"I am magnificent, my dear. I am calling to give you what I hope, is very pleasant news."

My eyebrows went up. "Oh?"

"We have Victor Madden secured."

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**A/N: Oh no she did not just end it there!**

**Perhaps I'll just leave teasers for those that review. When I only get 5% of the people who have me on alert reviewing, I think it's only fair…**

**So remember to review…**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: **A big thank you to everyone who took the time to review the last chapter. You are all awesome and fantastic in every way. I replied to all of you but for a few. Please remember to enable your PMs. That is how I write back to you when you review. If they aren't enabled, I can't answer you. And again thanks to those who have faved or altered the story.

Many people have asked me for a summary so you can read it before this chapter officially starts.

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Disclaimer: All characters except Enki Berg belong to Charlaine Harris

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**A brief summary of events: (If you don't want to read the summary, skip on down to the page break for the start of the new chapter)**

The story begins with Sookie leaving Louisiana six months after the events of DITF. By chapter 2 we discover Sookie is off to Sydney, Australia and under the alias Sabrina Summers. Later on we learn that Sydney is one of the few places left in the world that still contains an open fairy portal and it is there where she hopes to find Niall. She is living in Sydney three weeks before Niall makes his first appearance. Sookie by then, had found a temporary job at hotel with a Were manager named Nicki. She found herself a small apartment right off Bondi Beach and is adjusting to life in Australia quite well. (Mostly by working on her tan when time permits.)

We also find out that during this six month period, Victor has been actively pursuing any means possible to rid himself of Eric and therefore Sookie, by proxy. He has driven away business at Merlotte's and Fangtasia through his numerous enterprises. He has also made further attempts on Sookie and Eric's lives, sending wolves to her home while they were sleeping to burn them alive, and should Sookie have escaped, she would have been kidnapped and taken to New Orleans. However, Claude was able to save them both by teleporting them to the safety of his house inMonroe. It was not the last attempt on their lives.

Eric meanwhile, tracked the wolves that Victor hired to New Orleansand brought them back toShreveportfor interrogation. While he was able to remove the threat the wolves posed, he was still unable to retaliate against Victor himself without actual proof to bring to Felipe, who is otherwise, unconcerned about the situation in Louisiana. Every time Eric has attempted to contact Felipe, he has been met with punishment by Victor. Metaphorically, at least, Eric's hands were tied and he is stuck between a rock and hard place, losing profits from Victor's enterprises, the continued absence of Felipe, the continual watching by spies and the pervasive death threats that face both him and Sookie. As Sheriff, Eric also had to be part of the investigation surrounding the explosion of "Vampire's kiss."

In retaliation for the burning of Sookie's home, she enlists Amelia who works her magic and Sookie, using what Amelia gave her, blew up Victor's bar, "Vampire's Kiss," striking him in the place she felt it would hurt the most. Upon hearing that Eric, for the moment could do nothing to Victor himself, she designs her own plan to get rid of him and enlists the help of Niall to track Victor and several of his underlings down. She also contacts Alcide who arranges several meeting with the packmasters ofLouisianato join forces with Eric should their assistance be needed in exchange for help organizing their packs.

We also found out that Victor was responsible for the near death of Amelia – believing she had something to do with the explosion, though had no proof.

When Sookie leaves forAustraliashe leaves Eric with no warning. Eric wakes to find the bond between them stretched and only later discovers through letters – Sookie believes they have both become liabilities to each other, Pam's help and talking with Alcide and Claude, what has been going on when he wasn't around. He contacts a tracker by the name of Conrad to search for her. He and Pam determined she had made it as far as LAX. Eric is worried not only about where she has gone and what she is doing but also being able to find her in time. There is a vampire summit that Sookie will need to attend in December. Felipe is expecting her to be there.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, Sookie is enjoying her time inAustralia. No one is trying to kill her. No one has called her crazy and she hasn't been thrown into any life threatening situations. She expresses concern over her telepathy to Niall and her desire to improve her shielding and her ability to read shifters. Niall enlists the help of a 400 year old, German half-elf telepath by the name of Enki Berg to mentor her.

For a week now he has been coming to her to help her train and focus her telepathy. He even took her to another realm (not the fae realm) to practice on other supernatural creatures. The other realm that they went to severed Sookie's already dwindling blood bond to Eric. When she got back the bond reemerged but even more faded. It is only a matter of days before the bond is extinguished completely.

Before Sookie could go to the other realm with Enki, she had to drink something that Niall gave her that made her smell like full fairy to blend in.

The drink had disastrous effects for Sookie, unfortunately, when the next night, she was bit by a vampire staying in the hotel, who she named "Freckles." She managed to escape, stabbing Freckles with a silver knife and having only the bites and a few bruises to deal with.

After Sookie makes it safely home from Freckles attack, she receives a call from Niall telling her Victor has been secured.

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Chapter 14:

"_THE EDGE, there is no honest way to explain it because the only people who really know where it is are the ones who have gone over." _

_- Hunter S. Thompson_

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November 10th

Niall had secured Victor Madden. This was cause for celebration.

He had to repeat those words to me several times before they sunk in. After I had regained the ability to speak.

After I got off the phone with Niall I sat on my couch just staring into nothing for a long time. I was consciously aware that time was passing but didn't really care. I had faith that my Great Grandfather would pull through for me on this but still, having actually done it came through as something of a shock. It was like opening the door to find Publishers Clearing House on your front step.

When I finally snapped myself out of my stupor I called Enki. We had decided to forgo training since I'd be working late and had been training for several days in a row already. He was going to meet me tonight with his car and we'd head to the address Niall gave us.

All day at work I was distracted; forgetting my information, bringing things to the wrong rooms, not answering to my...name. I was a mess. I returned the car to the same spot it was in yesterday and snuck the key back into Nicki's office when no one was looking. I hoped no one had noticed its absence. I imagined that if someone cared, they could find me taking it on the security footage.

Eh, what are they going to do, fire me?

"Isn't it a bit hot for a scarf, Sabrina?" Abigail asked. I just finished going over some particulars to a group of tourists.

Ah yes, the scarf. I fingered the sheer fabric at my neck.

"Maybe, but we are in the air conditioning most of the day. Besides, I think it adds a nice touch of color to the uniforms. Don't you?" I asked, smiling widely.

Truthfully it did add a lot of color to my otherwise neutral uniform palate. The scarf was tied around my neck with a big knot to one side, its two ends sticking out. It was a sheer fabric that I had to improvise making out of one of my beach cover ups. It was bright yellow with a lacy looking design woven to the sheer with only a touch of black threading. I hated having to cut it up.

Unfortunately, I couldn't imagine myself trying to explain to everyone who saw me that a vampire guest of the hotel, sent by my vampire boyfriend-husband to watch me, decided in a fit of vampire bloodlust to attack me because I smelled like a nice juicy fairy.

She gave me the once over. "Ya know, it does," she said.

She was thinking about why I was so covered up. Normally, the summer uniform had short sleeves and I was wearing a long sleeved, summer linen shirt in the same color the hotel required.

"You know, I'd better go check on the conferences on the second floor," I told her, glancing at my watch. "They'll be getting out soon and I'll have to help with set ups for the next round." I grinned and took off before she could say anything else. Just call me yellow-necked.

Since any traces of vampire blood have more or less worn off in my system, it was taking the normal human amount of time for me to heal, which, I'd forgotten is really, really slow.

When I woke up this morning the lower half of my face was covered in bruises from the pressure of Freckles hand over my mouth. My right arm and waist also suffered. I felt like I was wearing five pounds of cover-up on my face. Wearing foundation in summer is absolutely no fun at all.

The day felt like it was lasting an eternity and when it finally ended at four-thirty (I was not risking staying late again) I practically sprinted out the door.

At home I showered quickly and made myself an early dinner. I wasn't able to concentrate on making much more than a sandwich with some chips.

Changing into something simple – jeans shorts and a half sleeve light weight blouse, just incase I got blood on my clothes was necessary. That was always a possibility around vamps.

Waiting for Enki outside my building, he picked me up promptly at six. He looked resplendent, as his usual fae-self did in fitted distressed dark wash jeans, converse sneakers and a sage, short sleeved, double pocketed utility shirt that stretched just right over his frame. His hair was back in pony tail.

It was incredibly relaxing to be around his silent mind after the day I'd had.

"We need to make a brief stop along the way," I told him.

"What for?" He asked, giving me a puzzled expression. "I figured you would be all for going straight there."

I googled a place nearby that sold hunting knifes and other sporting equipment while I was at work. "I am. But I need to stop at a shop along the way. I lost my knife." Well, I broke it on purpose – in a vamp – but that was beside the point.

"Knife?"

I explained the situation from yesterday to him, pulling down my scarf to show him the bite marks. He looked about as happy as I felt about it.

"That was quick thinking on your part, Sookie. Most people would have panicked."

"I'm not most people." And I've been exposed to enough supernatural crap to expect this sort of thing.

After a palpably tense minute passed he said, "I am sorry for giving you the potion."

"You couldn't have known something like that would have happened." I gave him a little pat on his shoulder. Didn't he? It was really nice not knowing what he was thinking about. Then again, it kind of wasn't.

"Maybe not, but Niall, you and I all knew that we would be mixing with vampires again eventually. I don't know what Niall was thinking in concocting it."

Well, nothing we could do about it now, I said to myself. I was more disappointed with losing my little knife. I liked that knife. We were only just really becoming acquainted. I had considered naming.

Obviously, Mr. Pointy was out. Perhaps Mr. Sharpie? No, that's a type of pen. I started laughing at myself.

"What's so funny?" He glanced at me.

"Oh…I'm just amusing myself. I was thinking of names for my knife."

"I see," he said, turning back to the road.

"I have a stake named 'Mr. Pointy.'" Or at least, I did.

After another minute or so, still looking at the road, he said quite seriously, "Are all weapons male?"

I laughed. A tear trickled out of my eye and I didn't stop until my sides started to cramp up.

Finally, after I calmed myself down, I said, "You know, I don't know." Then I burst into another fit of giggles. "I'll let you know if I ever get a gander at their nether regions."

When we reached the shop I had directed him too, he parked on the side of the road opposite the storefront.

Right before we walked in, he said, "How about 'Mr. Stabby?'" The edges of his mouth were attempting to stifle a smile.

Fifteen minutes later Enki and I walked out of the shop with Mr. Stabby. He was very similar to his predecessor. That is, a silver butterfly knife and very sharp.

The address Niall gave us brought us to a warehouse in an industrial area of Sydney. The streets were small and lined with high buildings, some filled with offices from the outside look of it, and some just factories or warehouses.

At this time of the day, it was more or less empty; everyone having already left their day jobs.

As we pulled up to it, two fairies emerged from one of the large doors. They guided us into the large, garage like sliding door and promptly shut it once the car was fully inside.

I hesitated. I was very wary of any fairies that weren't Niall, Claude or Dermot. The two fairies were both stunningly beautiful and they were both female. One had thick black hair that cascaded all the way down her back and dark brown eyes. The other had bright strawberry blond hair in tight ringlets that went down to the same length. Though it would be longer if it was straight. I envied how perfect and shiny it was. She had bold grey eyes and faint freckles that adorned her cheeks. Both were strikingly tall and lithe in that Amazonian kind of way.

Beautiful and deadly.

Enki gave me a reassuring pat on the shoulder. _Its ok,_ he thought at me. _They are part of Niall's guard. Read them for yourself. _He got out of the car.

I followed suit, opening my mind and pushing through the buzz and oddity of the supernatural thought pattern. I stayed in the car while I probed. The concentration is still a big effort and I was unwilling to let them see my expression as I tried. I would probably never master it the way Enki has but this was still helpful. Yes, they were Niall's guards and they had been the ones to grab Victor.

Exiting the car and moved to stand near Enki. The fairies gave us the once over.

"Hybrids," said the one with black hair. There was a sliver of distaste in her voice.

"_You _are The Prince's kin?" Asked the fairy with the ringlet curls.

"I am. Sookie Stackhouse." I nodded to her. Was it smart for Niall to leave two fairies in charge that already didn't seem to like us much?

"We know your name," said black hair. "I am Frena. This is Sibilina," she told us, pointing to the strawberry blond fairy. She nodded to us.

"Pleasure to meet you both." Kill them with kindness.

"And you are the part elf, Enki. We have heard of your skills." The way Sibilina said Enki's name, elongating it, changing the sound of the vowels, made it sound like it was coming from a completely different language. It probably was.

"The Prince informed us it was your planning that allowed us the freedom to hunt," Frena said. Her tone had changed from distaste to delightful.

I nodded. They hunted Victor Madden. Maybe vampires weren't at the top of the food chain.

Frena came over to me and gave an audible sniff before looking me in the eyes and placing her hand on my shoulder. "Perhaps you are an intriguing human, after all. You smell like a full fairy and magic. It has been such a long time since we have been relieved as Our Prince's personal guard for such an assignment." She stepped back.

"Indeed," said Sibilina, who brushed my hair back with her hand. "We owe you our gratitude. I haven't had fun like this since Brenadan's banishment."

Okay, I was significantly creeped out. I knew fairies were big on the touching and that was all fine and dandy when it was Niall or Claudine or Dermot. Even Claude was okay. But I didn't even know these fairies and the mentioning of Brenadan wasn't helping.

Enki, meanwhile was leaning against the side of the car examining his fingernails. Yep – fairy guards, hybrid distaste, the banishment of relatives – totally normal for him.

I had to remind myself that I've only know Enki a week. While we had shared quite a lot during that time about our histories, I still had to remember he was only half human. Half human and four hundred years old.

Since I met him, he had started feeling more like a mentor, in a brotherly sort of way. And that was pretty nice, having someone I could talk to the way I talked to Enki. I knew it was wrong, thinking of Jason in such a light. He is my brother and I wouldn't trade him for the world but when it's laid out in front of you – what you have and what you could have had, the brain just goes there.

I stepped back from their touching. "Well I'm real glad I could bring you two some entertainment." I smiled widely.

"So…um, where is Niall, anyway?" I asked turning around to look at the space.

There wasn't much to see from where we were. It looked like a loading area. The walls stretched up high, with large windows spaced over the top third of one wall. Empty shelves were stacked up high, almost to the ceiling and there was a large fork lift at the other end of the space. There was also another car there, a large four-door Escalade.

"He will be here after dark. Come, we still have some time before the creature wakes."

Frena began walking us toward a door at the other end of the loading area.

On the other side were storage rooms. The warehouse was empty, and the only things in the rooms were empty shelves and the exposed piping and fluorescents connected to the ceiling.

I was aching to ask them about Victor. "You were the two to catch Victor?"

"Oh, yes." Frena said, as she walked ahead of us. Sibilina stood beside Enki. "Although, I must say, I expected more fight out of the vampire." She smiled at me, revealing razor sharp teeth.

I gave an involuntary shudder. Sharp fairy teeth. Never again.

I didn't realize I had stopped walking until Enki gave me a little nudge.

"What are you talking about? We took him during the day!" Sibilina half shouted, half laughed.

"Yes, well, those ridiculous panther bodyguards were really no challenge."

Panthers? "Where did you find him?"

"We tracked him all over Louisiana initially. He liked moving around to inspect his underlings." Frena had reached another door and stopped.

"He thought that made him harder to catch," Sibilina laughed. "We certainly proved him wrong!"

Oh, fairy humor. Funnier every day.

"But finally we cornered him at a house outside Winnfield." I figured that was right along the Area five border.

That would have meant there was a possibility they were Calvin's panthers. The little voice inside me hoped I didn't inadvertently have more deaths on my shoulders. "You killed them? The panthers?"

"Unnecessary." Sibilina waved her hand. "We teleported directly into his house."

"The presumptuous blooddrinker didn't even ward himself against fairies!" Frena exclaimed. "Witches are filthy creatures. They steal magic that isn't theirs but they have their uses for the vampires."

I felt like I was in for a speech.

"During the fairy-vampire war many of our kind were prevented from entering the vampires' resting places because of these horribly simple human-witch wards."

"Unbearable," the other said.

"Intelligent," was all Enki said.

"Do you remember that cute little witch-human we cornered warding in the North? The one who thought she could best us with her childish incantations?" Frena asked of Sibilina.

"Of course. Such an adorable little creature."

Something told me I didn't want to know what happened to the "adorable little creature."

"Were you able to get to Victor's other vampires?" That was important.

"Oh, yes." Sibilina informed be with a frightening smile. "It was such fun."

Oh, boy, here with the fun again.

"It felt like a proper hunt, disposing of such incorrigible blooddrinkers. The infighting between our brethren has depleted our numbers even more. I did not enjoy slaying other fairies."

"Indeed. Yet these vampires were hardly worthy of our blade. So blindly following the suited vampire like little hounds scrapping for food." Frena grimaced. "Disgusting. No self respect." I had to agree with her there. The vampires in Victor's retinue all seemed pretty low on the totem poll of worthwhile vampires.

Yes, I was being judgmental. So what? It's not like they would have hesitated to come after me if Victor gave them the say so.

"The two vampire boys in the short leathers; they screamed like little children afraid of the dark." Sibilina giggled.

I was getting that feeling in the pit of my stomach. The one about something not being a good idea. I really wanted Niall to hurry up and get here.

"The Oriental – he had stamina. It was a lovely dance we had," Frena explained to us. I guess these were typical compliments. I briefly wondered what condition I was about to find Victor in.

"Oh, yes. He was by far the most difficult. I enjoyed the challenge." Sibilina sighed. "It's a pity there are so few good challenges now."

I hoped they hadn't taken their enjoyment out into the open for everyone to see. "It was quite though, right? Niall explained it to you?" For this to work right, it had to look like they disappeared willingly.

Their eyes narrowed and they both formed grim expressions. The unison of it all was all a little eerie. "Of course. Do you take us for fools? We follow Our Prince's word to the letter."

And with that, conversation ceased.

_You hurt their pride._ Enki thought at me.

_Didn't mean to. _

The second room we entered was pitch black. The fairies walked in first, flipping a switch on the side and filling the room with light. Enki and I followed them inside.

_Fairies have a strange sense of honor. And an ever stranger sense of humor. Be careful what you say to them. Remember, they aren't like us. _

_Yeah, I noticed. _

The room we stepped into was clean and sterile. It was filled with a strange assortment of objects. The one that drew my attention the most was a large, silver plated, rectangular box. There were heavy silver chains keeping it shut tight.

Well, there's Victor.

The two fairies went over to Victor's coffin and unchained it. When they opened it up, I gasped.

Victor looked like he'd been worked over by a meat grinder. Twice. Since they'd taken him during the day, he was without his normally pristine suit wear. Instead he wore nothing but a pair of black boxer briefs.

"How long have you had him?" I peered over Frena's shoulders to look.

His wrists and ankles were shackled in silver. He appeared to still be in his vampire sleep state. It was the best light I could ever muster to see Victor in.

"This will be the third night. We could not teleport such a large distance."

I didn't know what to say. I wanted Victor good and finally dead. I also wanted a little information from him. But…torture. It was completely unnecessary.

They dragged him out of the coffin.

They wouldn't have known what questions to ask.

Maybe it was better that Niall closed the portals after all.

Frena uncuffed him and they each took one of his arms. They dragged him to the wall facing us where there were four pointed silver spikes jutting out of the wallface spaced in a square pattern. They couldn't have been more than four or five inches in length. The tips were larger than the shaft, sort of like an arrow head. Once something was on it, there was no getting it off without more tearing.

Enki grabbed me and pulled me back, away from what they already had planned.

The fairies tied his wrists and ankles up with rope hanging near the spikes. The ropes extended to pulleys and wound around a small barrel shaped instrument with a lever. Once his limbs had been pulled taunt with the levers, they pushed his limbs back impaling him on the spikes. One for each limb.

I shrieked.

So did Victor.

A whole big freight train full of feelings just past right on through me and I didn't know which one I wanted to analyze first. Maybe disgust.

My stomach was feeling the need to purge its contents of my dinner.

The memory of something sharp inside me was suddenly pushed to the forefront and I had to turn around for a moment and remember to breathe.

Enki wrapped a comforting arm around my shoulders. _Remember what I taught you. Breathe. Focus. Think about why you're here. Think about what you want. Use your feelings. Control them. _

I looked up at him and whispered a silent thank you.

"Miss. Stackhouse," Victor drawled, elongating my name.

I turned around, determined to show nothing but stoicism. "Victor." His fangs were out.

"You surprise me, Miss. Stackhouse. I did not think you had it in you," he said, indicating the surroundings with his eyes.

"You underestimate humans, Victor. It's one of your biggest problems." I moved a little closer to him. My heart beat a little faster.

Drops of blood dripped down from his forearms and thighs where they met the spikes and made little splashing sounds when they fell to the floor. The smell of his burning flesh hit my nose. I stepped back.

Breathe. Control . In and out.

"I imagine it won't be a mistake I'll have the chance make again," he stated simply. The two fairies smiled their sharp smiles. He glanced at them. His fangs ran out even longer as he sniffed the air.

"Ladies, so nice to see you again." That was when I first noticed how gaunt his face looked.

"Has he been fed?" I asked them.

"What for?" Sibilina responded. He will meet his gods soon. He needs no sustenance.

"And yet you both tempt me with your delicious scents all night," he growled.

"We know," Frena laughed. "We can mask our scents; Niall taught us but we choose not to. It is more fun when he is in a frenzy."

I looked over at Victor. His eyes were dilated and he was struggling against the ropes and silver spikes. If he could, he'd sink his fangs into Frena in less time than it takes to say "fairy blood."

Sibilina came over to me and placed a pair of pliers in my right hand. I held them up to my face and then looked at her. "What am I supposed to do with these?"

"Take his fangs," she stated, simply. "We left the honor to you."

Honor? "What?" I screeched. I'm sure there were a few people in New Zealand who may not have heard me.

I stared at them both. They were crazy. Maybe not Thing One and Thing Two crazy – but close.

"We thought you would want to. The Prince has told us of the blooddrinker's actions against you. As they are against you, they are against him. Recompense must be paid." It was like Sibilina was telling me I had to go and file my taxes before April fifteenth.

"I can't do that." That would be like…well, like taking a man's testicles. Or a woman's breasts. They were what made him a vampire. Then of course, I realized, _that is the point._

I held the pliers away from me like they were diseased, with only my thumb and index finger holding them. Holding them out to Sibilina, She backed away.

Victor laughed. "Perhaps I spoke too soon."

"Victor, you're not exactly in the position to give criticism. So for the time being, why don't you shut the hell up?"

"Because this is all incredibly entertaining. Besides, how often do I get to speak with you without the Viking present? And I would so _love_ the opportunity to _converse_ with you…one on one. I see someone has already had a taste," he said indicating marks on my neck.

My hand involuntarily went up to the scarf around my neck and covered the wounds. The mental image that flitted through my mind had no _conversing_ whatsoever. "Keep dreaming," I told him.

_Sookie, _I heard Enki mindspeak. _You should do it. Take his fangs. _

I rounded around to glare at Enki. _What the hell are you talking about? _

_You are owed the offense against him. He has taken from you. It will also cement yourself with them,_ he said, eyeing the two fairies.

_Why should I worry about them if they work for Niall?_

_It would be a good thing to have their respect. Trust me on this. Take his fangs. Show him you are capable of doing what you need to do. _

_But I don't need to take his fangs for that!_

"Another telepath? How fascinating." I turned back to face him. "Truly, Miss. Stackhouse, you do surprise me. Tell me, how is your friend, the witch?" He sneered. "I made sure you found her in just the right place."

I held my lips together tightly and smiled. "Oh, she's just fine, Victor. Pam healed her." Well, that was partly true, anyway. Pam gave her a few drops of blood and whiles not enough to heal her completely; it eased her pain and reduced her recovery time. Amelia, on the other hand, wasn't very satisfied with only a few drops.

"My, my, have you tamed her as well? Perhaps I went about this all wrong, since you seem to so endear any vampire who gives you his ear long enough for you to speak."

"If that were true, you would've stopped trying to kill me a while ago."

"You are too valuable to the Sheriff to be allowed to live."

Oh, well, that's comforting. I had to be killed because it would make Eric weak. Maybe I could go into the witness protection program.

"That was all you cared about? Owning Eric's area?"

"Not just his area." I could tell he was trying to block out the pain from his scorching limbs. The smell of the fairies was getting to him.

Frena rotated the lever around one turn and his limbs stretched even tighter. The spikes tore more at his flesh the more his limbs stretched.

He grimaced and gritted his teeth but made no sound that the stretching or tearing had affected him.

"You had New Orleans, you had plenty of vampires in your retinue. What was so important that you were determined to kill Eric and me?"

"You can't see that for yourself?" He asked, through slight gasps of pain. "I thought you were brighter." That got a half turn from Frena.

I could figure out the answer, but I wanted to hear it from him. Besides, I was the queen of chit chat, even if this was a more morbid form of chit chat; and I needed him chatty.

"What were you planning had you brought me to New Orleans?"

"Why, you would have been a gift for The King, of course." If Felipe was really on Victor's side, now would be a good time to know.

I glanced at Enki. _Can you read him? _

_I can, but we should wait until we are alone with him. The fairies can not know that I can read him. _

"Will you leave us?" Enki asked the fairies. "Sookie, I suppose you have a few more questions for our guest here," he stated, nodding to Victor.

I blinked. "Yes. I apologize, I know that the two of you are…enjoying yourselves, but I would prefer right now to speak with Victor in private.

The two fairies looked positively crestfallen.

Sibilina walked over to Victor and ran a finger over his face. "We'll have more fun later. The last time I was in the human realm, they hadn't even invented electricity." Victor went completely still.

Actually, I did too.

Reluctantly, the two fairies left.

"Have you reconsidered my offer to…_converse_?" Victor asked, attempting to regain his lost composure.

"Tell me, Victor, do you honestly think Felipe would have _ever_ made you a king?" Apparently, I'd hit a sore spot him because he stopped his leering and growled at me.

I'm sure he would have ripped my head off if he could.

Enki's mind was open and he was broadcasting to me everything he was picking up from Victor's mind. Gruesome.

He stopped growling and steadied himself. Another one of those smiles crept across his face. It was artificial and it disgusted me.

"My dear, if Felipe did not give me the kingship, I would have taken it. Just as Eric has taken you."

My brows furrowed. I don't see how the two are related. "Eric hasn't taken me."

"Hasn't he? Do you really believe that he will allow you to ever leave him? That he doesn't know where you are right now? You are his. You are his until you are old and gray and he no longer wants you. You are his until you are dead or he turns you. If he turns you, you will be his forever. You are his to control now. You will be his to control later."

Victor's mind played out for me through Enki. The gruesome and horrible things he's seen makers put their children through; the mindless walking zombies humans become when a vampire takes over control completely.

The deep monster of anger I had inside me, the one that I had been trying to keep careful control of since the fire, reared its ugly head. My teeth clenched and it was a good thing Enki saw was I was about to do a second before I acted on it.

He grabbed Victors jaw as I lunged at him with the silver pliers. Enki pried open Victor's mouth and I gripped one of his distended fangs with the pliers and yanked it out by the root.

Victor screamed. Blood flowed out of mouth like a waterfall. I latched on to the second one and pulled.

He screamed again. Only this time the scream it was muffled by the blood that filled his mouth.

I looked at the two bloody fangs that were now in my left hand. I closed my fingers over them and looked at Victor.

"I control myself."

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**A/N: So what do you think? Too much? **

**I debated a long time if Sookie should be the one to pull out his fangs, considering what she's been through. **

**I had also considering killing Amelia and having Victor leave her head in a box on Sookie's doorstep. Too gruesome? **

** Sookie's discussion with Victor is not over. Sorry but no Viking this chapter. He will be back soon! **

**Please forgive any tying mistakes. Its 3 am and I'm falling asleep.**

**It seemed to work last time so I will do it once again. The minority percent of you who review get a teaser into the next chapter. Perhaps more than just a chapter synopsis even. I really want to know everyone's thoughts on what Sookie did this chapter. **


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N:** Wow. What a response to the last chapter. I was really surprised that everyone was happy to see Sookie really get her violence on. Man, I loved writing those two fairies. They're funny! In a twisted kind of way.

I'm just stunned at all the attention this story is getting. It makes me do a happy dance.

Thank you all for your insightful and informative comments. I really love seeing my inbox full of all your reviews, alert subscriptions and favorites. I try to answer all of you.

Disclaimer: Sookie, Niall and Victor are the work of Charlaine Harris.

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**Chapter 15**

"_Sometimes we can choose the paths we follow. Sometimes our choices are made for us. And sometimes, we have no choice at all." _

_-Neil Gaiman,_ The Wake

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**November 10th Continued**

I stepped back from the small pool of blood that formed at Victor's feet.

Looking from him to the bloody pair of pliers in my right hand, to the two fanged teeth in my left – complete with root and a bit of gum, I turned my eyes back to the vampire I had just neutered.

I dropped the pliers. They made a harsh clanging sound that echoed through the empty space as they hit the hard floor.

What had I done? I let him goad me into attacking him.

Why would he want that?

I'd have to worry about it later. Right now, I had blood on my hands. Literally.

Everything about what I just did screamed _WRONG _to me. A good person doesn't do that sort of thing because someone said something nasty to them. I've heard plenty of nasty things about me – things people had the nerve to say out loud and the things that were so awful they could only think them. Yet, I'd never hurt anyone over it.

I turned around and covered my mouth with my hand. When did I become the person who could do that?

I still had the teeth in my left hand. Not knowing what to do, I stuck them in my jeans pocket.

Enki came around to face me. One of his hands was also covered in blood. _Are you alright?_

_I don't know, _I thought, looking at the red coating his hand.

_You didn't do anything wrong, you know. _He gave me a little reassuring smile.

_I never planed on all…this. _I waved my now sticky hands around, indicating our current predicament.

_How else did you think you were going to get information, especially if I wasn't here?_ He crossed his arms. He's going to get blood on his pretty, sage shirt.

_I guess, I figured that once he was caught, especially by fairies, he'd just…confess. He _is_ an arrogant son of a bitch. _

Enki couldn't hold in a snort. _That sort of thing is only true on TV._

_No! I know a bunch of cops and they've all said the same thing. In the end, they all confess…most of the time. _

Enki answered that thought with his best skeptical expression.

Well, _at least the stupid ones do. _That only made me think of Jason._ Besides, what's the point? There's no way he could think that he'd be leaving here alive. Not between me and Crazy One and Crazy Two._

The sound of spitting made me turn back around. Victor seemed to have half swallowed, half spit out the blood that leaked from his torn gums. He brought his head back up to look at me; his chin and some of his chest were streaked with red.

Then he smiled at me. _Smiled! _Granted it was pretty creepy with two teeth missing and a smile that was really meant to show off fangs he no longer had.

"Bravo, Miss. Stackhouse. Bravo." He emphasized the "o."

Had Victor just completely lost his mind?

"Eric made a fine choice, indeed. I know I've said it before," he lisped as spittle came through the gaps, "but you will make a fantastic vampire."

I was livid. He was trying to goad me with this…whatever it was, to do something rash. I could feel it. If I just stake him, then ash can't talk. Not that dead boy is saying anything useful at the moment.

"Trying to get me to stake you, Victor?" Like I need another reason.

"Why would I do that, Miss. Stackhouse? I enjoy living as much as the next undead vampire," he stated. Sardonic asshole.

"Really? Because it sure doesn't seem like you're doing anything to protect that shortening lifespan of yours." I smiled sweetly.

"Have I hit a nerve, Miss. Stackhouse? Has Eric made a decision about turning you?"

Maybe Victor doesn't do his homework that well. "I don't want to be turned. Eric promised me he wouldn't."

"Oh, I see." Victor's face remained neutral. "That explains a lot."

'A lot?' What? Why we're pledged? Why he's been so grouchy? Why he can't beck and call me like a puppy?

I smiled wider. "I guess." I needed to steer this back to him.

"And might I add, now that the other fairies have disappeared…you smell absolutely wonderful." Then he added, "What have you been doing with yourself? You smell like fairy. It isn't the scent of another."

I am not touching that subject.

"Victor," I started, sweetly. "Does Felipe know about your plans to kill Eric and me?"

Victor's expression changed minutely. His face looked grim and then not a second later it was back to its original expressionless state.

"And what would you do, my dear, with the King if he did know? Would you have your fairy kin bring him here too?" He had stopped bleeding and the blood was starting to dry and flake into little pieces.

That is a nice thought. Though, the possibility of actually getting to him while he was all nestled away in Vegas seemed highly unlikely. I should have let Sigabert have his way with Felipe.

That's what I get for doing the right thing.

"What does it matter to you? You won't be here to see it." Snap!

Victor closed his fists and flexed his forearms; a futile attempt against the ropes holding him. It only made his flesh tear more on the silver spikes. "I suppose it doesn't." Then after a moment he said, "I am curious, however."

"Maybe you should be more curious about what those two fairies have planed, rather than what may or may not happen to Felipe." I was feeling less and less guilty for what I'd done.

It seemed like, for all intensive purposes, the Sookie Stackhouse of yesteryear had left the building. She did not pass go and she did not collect two hundred dollars.

"Oh, I have no doubt they have an array of entertaining things planned." He glanced at the door. While his voice betrayed nothing, the furtive glances he was giving the door and a crate laid in one corner of the room gave him away. He was shit scared of whatever the fairies have planned.

I had to give him some credit though, if I hadn't been around since the age of electricity and all they had to do was mention it, I'd be scared too. Though they could tie him down and force him to watch Jerry Springer episodes for the next fifty years on a continuous loop. That would qualify as pretty bad in my book.

"I don't think 'entertaining' quite covers it." That came from Enki, who was still standing slightly behind me and to my left.

"Is that supposed to endear me into confession?" Victor was really full of himself. "You're going about it the wrong way." This mustn't be Victor's first rodeo.

I looked at Enki and he nodded. I turned back to Victor. "What does Felipe know about what you're doing in Area Five?"

Nothing.

I turned to Enki who moved to stand out of Victor's field of vision. He nodded. The answers were flowing from Victor's mind to Enki's, who, for the time being, shared a direct link to mine.

"Does he know how much money you're stealing from him?"

"I've stolen nothing," he stated in monotone. Victor's mind was cold. It was like falling to a cave and waiting for something to strike. It amazed me that I was able to feel it through Enki.

I glanced at Enki, who shook his head. Turning back, I continued. "How much have you taken?"

Nothing.

_Oh_…a lot.

"Where are you keeping it?"

From the corner of my eye I swear I could see Enki magic a pen out of thin air. I didn't know he could do that.

Go figure. Maybe later he could magic me some new shoes. Mine were getting raggedy.

"You know, Victor," I said, giving him my best I-hate-you-smile, "I bet you would do something as cliché as hide money in an off shore bank account like in one of those dime a dozen mob movies."

Still nothing.

I moved, standing less than two feet from him, and asked, "What was the point in wasting money and causing problems for Eric and me when you had a whole state practically at your beck and call?" There was an almost imperceptible movement from the suddenly quiet vampire.

"You are a lesson to be learned." My eyebrows went up. Yes, I'm right between history and civics.

"I'm only a lesson if you win," I told him. "If Eric and I win, you're the lesson Victor – on how not to govern." Bazinga.

"How many vampires do you think will remain loyal to you if there's a threat from Felipe?" He stared at me. His stone mask revealed nothing.

My eyes caught Enki quietly smiling. I picked up the number. It wasn't high. Actually, it didn't even breach double digits.

"What did you think you would gain from an alliance with Breandan?"

Victor's eyes widened. He was too shocked to be stoic. "How did you know?"

"You were at Fangtasia the night I was taken. You knew Eric and I were pledged." I rolled my eyes. "Really, Victor, you were in the damn room. The only reason for stalling him was in the hope that I wouldn't be found."

"Eric could not engage himself in a fairy conflict." Had he rehearsed that line?

"Bullshit. What did Breandan promise you? Money? An army? Half-breed fairies like me to snack on?"

Victor looked positively indignant. "Whatever it was, you wouldn't have gotten it," I told him. "A fairy…especially one like Breandan, would not indebt himself to any vampire."

"Fairies keep their promises. Isn't that the old saying?"

"You would have to ask a fairy," I said, simply. "Though I don't know if the two fairies," I pointed to the door with my thumb, "are really interested in what you have to say."

I could see Victor trying to hold himself together. There was no way out of this for him. Every movement, every shift, caused his flesh to tear and burn a little more on the silver spikes. He was scanning the room continuously. For anything that might give him an advantage, I figured.

"How does it feel?" I imagined that at some point or another, Victor had been in situations like this before. Becoming a vampire doesn't mean you just flip a switch and automatically turn evil. You learn things. You watch and emulate. Sometimes, I figured, vampires repeated their own lessons learned on others. Briefly I wondered what Victor's maker must have been like. _Pretty damn scary,_ I reckoned.

"How does what feel like?"

"Helplessness."

His features narrowed and his mouth drew into a line. "You would know."

Yes, yes I would.

"You burned down my house." One day I had spent time thinking about how he'd gone about planning it and if he had a sit down meeting at a big conference table with his underlings and the wolves he hired. It gave me the image of the "final solution" in my head. I wasn't able to do anything productive for the rest of the day.

"Yes." Short and sweet.

"I burned down your club." I watched as Victor's face morphed into something close to astonishment.

"Does the Viking know?"

"No."

"Did you do that for him? This?"

"For us." While I wanted to kill Victor for the both of us, he had tried to kill me directly and indirectly several times already, rather than pursue a direct attack on Eric. Consequently, I wanted him really, really dead. But burning down his club? That I did for me.

"You've changed, Miss. Stackhouse." I guess Victor had his eureka moment.

Haven't I? I guess it was kind of necessary. Time and circumstance forced me to adapt. "I'll take that as a compliment." Was it? Have I changed for the better? I hope so. Otherwise, the future would start to look pretty damn dreary.

"As it was meant to be." He paused, looking like he was giving some thought to what he was about it say. Probably, it wasn't anything good. "So, you did all this for the benefit of you and your dear husband?"

He looked like he was up to something. I glanced over at Enki, who had remained suspiciously quiet, both in sound and mind. He face was distorted; brows furrowed, eyes narrow and his lips were scrunched up tight together on one side.

"Why are you so concerned about whose benefit this is all for? As far as you're concerned, Louisiana will be better off without you." It definitely couldn't be any worse.

"It would just pain me to see you going to all this trouble over a vampire who hasn't been honest with you. And I know just how much you value honesty," he said smoothly.

"Eric doesn't lie to me." I told him, flatly. He can't – the blood bond works both ways.

"Not unless you consider omission a lie." He was trying to weave doubt all around me. I wouldn't let him. "Maybe he doesn't lie…but I imagine there is plenty he doesn't tell you."

Victor had me at an impasse. It was true; there was plenty Eric didn't tell me. I assumed it was for my own good (mostly) or that I really wouldn't like the answers he gave to my questions. But there were also plenty of times where he could have told me things that would have certainly kept me out of a few sticky situations. I figured, though, that's where Pam came in. She always told the truth and if it was important enough, she made Eric talk too.

"I'm aware there are things he doesn't tell me." I was eyeing the lever that would pull him tighter. "I don't expect him too."

"Well…that's wonderful then. I'm glad to know you don't expect him to tell you about the rituals to break your blood bond." He stated it as casually as if he were discussing what movie to watch on TV. "Unless you already know, of course."

I'm glad I had experience hiding my own facial expressions. I gave him a wide smile. "What makes you think I want to break my blood bond with Eric?" Even though I hated our blood bond much of the time and found it oddly comforting for the rest, I wasn't about to tell Victor that.

"Really? Perhaps my sources were misinformed. My mistake," he said lightly.

Fucking spies.

"So you will have no problem then following Eric to Oklahoma?"

Before I could ask him what the hell he was talking about, the fairies walked in. Sibilina came over to us, observing the drying blood on Victor and the floor and then looking at me. She clapped me on the back so hard I stumbled forward a little. "Well done." She sounded like a proud parent. "We knew you had it in you."

While meant to be a compliment, I was feeling like I just had the rug swept out from under me and didn't feel much like addressing how fairy-ish I was becoming.

I noticed she was carrying what looked like a car battery in her right hand. Frena piped up before I could deconstruct my feelings about them using a car battery on Victor. "Niall is here. He is waiting for you near the entrance."

I stepped back from Victor while he gave me a smile that could melt the panties off some women – if it wasn't so goddamn frightening. "Thanks," I said, turning to Frena. I moved to leave but then remembered something. Turning back around, I considered the animosity fairies had for vampires. "Don't get carried away."

Enki followed me out of the room and stopped. "I think I should stay with Victor while the fairies…enjoy themselves. I might get some more information."

"You got the answers from earlier?"

He nodded. "We will discuss them soon. You should talk to Niall first. Find out what he knows, then the three of us can move on it."

I agreed and went over to talk with Niall, while Enki went back inside to…watch. Ick.

"Hello, Child." He greeted me like he hadn't seen me in months – which may have well been the case – by enveloping me in a large hug and kissing my cheeks.

"How are you, dear one?" He asked, looking me over. His eyes zeroed in on my scarf and narrowed into a very displeased expression. "What is that?"

"Oh…that. You remember that potion you gave to Enki, to give to me?"

He nodded and his frown deepened.

"Yeah well, it worked. It got me smelling like a fairy and I didn't have any problems going through that portal." At least, no problems that I could see.

"I see." He removed the scarf from my neck. "I am to blame for a vampire attacking you." He sounded regretful. It was another attack he'd brought down on me.

I wanted to quash his guilt. "I don't blame you. You were looking out for me," I said soothingly, and wrapped my own arms around him. "I wouldn't have wanted to draw even more attention to myself by smelling human. You couldn't have predicted what happened."

Niall remained quite before finally letting out a sigh. "It was foolish. Vampires are everywhere in this world. What did you do to escape?"

"Stabbed him with a silver knife," I told him proudly.

He looked surprised. "You did?"

"Yup." Open. Stab. Twist. Pull. Repeat. That was me.

"How enterprising."

"That's me." I think I'm getting a reputation. Vampires, shifters and fairies. Oh my.

"And now? How are things going with our current vampire guest?"

Guest? Really? "Oh, you know…we've been chatting. He's a regular chatterbox." Well, is a regular something, I'll give him that.

Niall gave me a bemused expression as if to tell me vampires don't "chat." Yeah, because I don't already have a glaring example of that in one tall Scandinavian vampire.

"I guess you have a few questions of your own for him, Grandfather?" I asked him as we walked back toward where Victor is being kept.

"Yes, but I would like to hear what you've learned first."

As if on cue, Enki appeared in the doorway. Maybe he had some of that supe super hearing. I imagined that wouldn't be much fun if you lived in a big city. Car horns are annoying enough without having to hear them extra loudly.

"Prince," he said, inclining his head. I wondered what the proper protocol was if you were fae but not fairy. "Your guards are enjoying themselves. They found a new use for spark plugs."

Yeesh. I gave an involuntary shiver.

Niall tilted his head and gave a jovial little laugh. It was like church bells. "How fascinating. I had never considered alternate uses for automobile materials before. Of course, all the iron doesn't help." He shook has head like he was considering options.

I figured now was as good a time as any to dive right in. "It looks like Victor wasn't being too honest with his boss man Felipe." No big surprise there.

"He's been siphoning off funds from other vampire businesses left and right. He's got millions stashed away that should have gone to Felipe." _And I have his fake account name and bank location,_ he added in our thought speak.

Oh good, no need to fake any money trails then. One less thing to do.

Niall thought for a moment before he responded. "I have already spoken with the accountant I had in America. He will be able to assist you with the vampire's financial matters."

Huh. That was unexpected. "That is very generous of you, Great-grandfather. I appreciate it greatly."

He waved it off like I was asking him to come cheer for me at a softball game. "I offered you my help, child. I intend to give it."

I went over and hugged him. It was really nice having family who looked after you. After we'd had a moment, it was time to get back to business.

"Felipe doesn't know about what he's been up to in Area Five. That will be good for all of us, I think."

"And he has almost no loyalty in his numbers." That came from Enki. "I suppose, if an alliance was formed from a neighboring state, your Viking could take Louisiana back from Felipe."

"It's possible. Arkansas' under new regency and impoverished; they aren't much threat. I don't know how amenable Russell would be to an alliance with Eric. They have an odd history. Then there's Texas – Stan might be agreeable. His legs healed up real well. And Oklahoma." Is that what Victor meant? No, that doesn't make sense. I felt like I was missing a real important puzzle piece.

Niall seemed pensive. "You have much to discuss with your vampire." Understatement? Oh yeah.

"It would not be prudent of me to allow myself or the fairies under my rule to enter into an open conflict with vampires. Though," he added, "in a conflict that would impact your safety, I would assist whoever is protecting you."

"Wow." What do you say to that? 'Thanks for being willing to start a war over me? Oh wait, that kind of already happened. But this was very good news. Eric's vampires are loyal. Wolves were willing to assist for a price and Niall was willing to help for my benefit. I didn't know what to say so I hugged him and kissed his cheek. It always felt nice being near him.

Niall had a few things he wanted to "discuss" with Victor. He disappeared behind the door with Frena and Sibilina while Enki and I were left to ourselves.

It wasn't long before I heard screaming. I couldn't be around that. The last time I heard screaming like that…well, it was coming from me.

We went to stand outside where a light misty rain had begun.

"So…" he started.

"Yeah."

"Will you be going back to America now? Since your business with Niall seems to be winding down?"

Neither of us wanted to talk about what we'd seen in Victor's head. If Enki had filtered any of it, I was glad. Though it looked to me like there was a whole lot he let pass right on through. My head was filled with images of what Victor would have done had he gotten free and what he's done in the past to others for pissing him off.

I felt like I'd won the tri-fecta. I'd pissed him off, I'd escaped death and I'd beaten him at his own game. Go me!

Would I? "I don't know yet." I kind of liked it here. My job here certainly paid more than at Merlotte's. And aside from one nasty incident with a vampire, things weren't too bad. No one's tried to kill me or use me in over a month! I missed Eric. I missed him a lot. All the time, even. And I missed Sam and working at the bar. I missed Tara and JB and their new babies. I missed Hunter. What must he be thinking now? The aunt that promised to help him just up and disappeared. I missed Jason too. Michele had really calmed him down and that was great. She was stable and good and reliable for him.

But the things Victor had said were already eating away at me. What else had Eric not told me? There was a ritual to break the bond. He never offered to break it. Then again, it's a rare occasion when Eric does offer information freely…and I hadn't asked. It was almost completely depreciated as it is, so I guess it doesn't make a big difference now. My feelings for him haven't changed.

I was determined to not let what Victor said get to me. He doesn't know anything about my relationship with Eric and I wasn't about to let him start sewing seeds of doubt now. But what the hell did he mean about Oklahoma?

Finally, after an agonizing few minutes of silence, I said, "Louisiana is in a precarious position." Felipe would know by now that Victor was gone. "Eric even more so." Being the only surviving sheriff from the old regime put him in a tough spot.

"But the information you obtained…that will help you both, right?"

"Oh, yes."

"Do you have everything you need?" He asked.

Do I? "From Victor, yes."

"Then lets end this," he said with some finality. He had been smoking some sort of rolled tobacco that smelled faintly of mint. He flicked it out into the rain and opened the door for me.

When we entered the back room with the three fairies and one vampire I was surprised to see Victor no longer racked to the wall. He was tied to a silver table and the stench of his burning flesh permeated the air.

He was struggling, attempting to claw through the silver binding him and he was completely intoxicated by bloodlust. His face had morphed into one of pure hunger and need at the smell of the fairies in the room. I imagined his own hunger and blood loss had something to do with it.

I couldn't see what the fairies were doing; they had their backs to me but there was an increasing pool of blood on the floor under the table and other…odd shaped things.

I saw Frena lift something thin and flesh colored up to her mouth. Then her sharp teeth ripped it to pieces as she ate it. "Oh! Ewww."

They stopped and turned at the sound I made. Then I got a full view of what they were doing.

I thought I would vomit all over the place. _Keep it together, Stackhouse. _

The odd things on the floor? Strips of skin.

I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. "Okay," I said. More fairy things I didn't want to know about. "Great-grandfather, are you…have you asked what you needed to?" I noticed there was a big lack of conversation when I walked in.

Enki, meanwhile, walked over to the large crate that was now lying open. Rummaging around, after about a minute, he pulled out a long wooden stake.

Niall halted the work of the other two and came over to me. Thank God.

His hands were bloody. I had seen him like this before – but then it had been a war between fairies. This was…different.

"Are you alright, Sookie? You look ill."

I was about five seconds away from throwing up on what looked like his very expensive shoes. "I'll be fine," I told him. "Have you finished?" I pointed to Victor without looking at him.

"For the most part," he said. Then added, "I am not done explaining how I deal with those who bring suffering on my kin."

Yeesh. That didn't bode well.

"I think he understands." Enki passed me the stake. "Grandfather, you know I cannot agree to this. I needed information," then I paused, "and I got it. This…" I said, pointing to the table "is unnecessary."

Niall looked angry for a moment and maybe resentful. My morality was getting in the way of his…reprisal. Understandable.

And that was it, wasn't it. This was all understandable.

It was time to be done with all the planning and plotting and sneaking around. "This needs to be over," I said after a long moment.

"Frena, Sibilina." Niall commanded them and they stepped away.

I walked over to Victor, all the while keeping my bile in check.

I took a long look at what all my planning had finally led to. "This could have ended differently, you know," I told him after a moment of looking at missing flesh from his chest, "if you hadn't been so determined to ruin our lives."

Victor was looking at me with an expression that mingled pain, anger and…resolution? Finally, he said, "Perhaps."

I reached a sort of eerie calm, knowing what I was about to do. It was justified, after everything he'd done.

"I'm doing you a mercy now." One you wouldn't have done for me, I wanted to say. I lifted the stake to my eye level. Briefly I thought of Quinn and Andre and wondered if this situation was the same. I dismissed that thought quickly.

Victor craned his head as much as he could without burning the side of face on the silver table, which wasn't much. He gave a final look at the three fairies and the half-elf who stood silently watching from a distance.

"Yes, you are," he stated, and for the first time looked like he saw me clearly; not as the lowly human companion of a vampire sheriff.

I thrust the stake into his chest so hard it came out the other side. Victor screamed as the stake impaled on his heart. Then there was silence and slowly…he began to disintegrate.

I stepped back and watched him flake away.

Relief. It was done.

I didn't even notice when the three fairies and Enki came over and embraced me.

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**A/N: So…were you expecting Sookie do to the deed? Leave me your thoughts!**

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**So go on and click that review button. You know you want to.**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: **Once again I would like to thank all the wonderful people who take the time to review and leave me their thoughts, questions and comments. You make my day.

Secondly, I have set up an account on wordpress where I will be posting teasers for the upcoming chapters, so please check it out. I will continue to give advance teasers to all my reviewers. All the chapters for TMOP have been posted until 16 so please feel free to contact me through there or pm with questions about anything SVM, TB or otherwise, if you want. The account is up and running and will contain all sorts of things SVM and True Blood related, as well as my own thoughts on fanfic, Sookie, Eric and the odd Bon Temps fashion.

**To see what Sookie is wearing in this chapter**: h t t p : / / wp . me / p1DIr2-25

**My wordpress:** h t t p : / /finiteanarchy . wordpress . com / Feel free to subscribe or leave me a comment on Sookie's fashion choices.

Disclaimer: Characters belong to Charlaine Harris (except Enki)

Oh...and for all you peeps not from the U.S. who use the metric system, 1 gallon = 4 liters (approximately) 1 meter = 3 feet

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**Chapter 16**

"_Say what you will, but you're never prepared for the surprise attack."_

_- Sarah Dessen_

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**November 11th**

The sound of fingers snapping next to my ear brought me into the present. I jumped at least an inch.

"Yes," I said, turning around as I got my heart rate in check. I was sitting at the tourist desk. It was large and mahogany but not overbearing in size. I had leaflets of every size and color in a display to my right. It was situated in a corner of the large lobby, not far from reception.

The lobby stood large and white with several huge columns scattered around, each surrounded by greenery. The floor was tiled in white with blue, beige and brown mosaic looking swirls. On one side, by large windows that looked out to the street toward the beach, was a beige carpeted lounge area. The main lounge area was on another floor but this provided some small accommodation for waiting guests. Situated on the carpeting were two very modern looking quilted mocha couches in that rectangular look that is so popular today, and about a dozen square looking chairs in pairs with small glass tables between them.

Nicki was behind me, her hands on her hips and a sour expression on her well make-upped face. Her hair was particularly blond today.

"Thank you for noticing me…standing here…finally." She let out a heavy breath before extending an arm out, handing me an envelope.

Geeze. What's got her hair in a knot? "Sorry. I guess I've been a bit distracted. What's this?" I asked her, taking the envelope.

"Your paycheck." Her mind was a big red swirly mess. Briefly, there were moments where the colors changed to blue before going back to red again. I didn't want to pry at what was making her so angry. I figured she'd tell me if she wants to. Though, if I had to guess, there was any number of calamites waiting in the wings until the convention was over.

"Thanks." I took the check as she looked me over.

"What's wrong with you?" She blurted.

"Excuse me?" Did I have something on my face?

"You're acting weird. Different, from the past couple of weeks." She crossed her arms.

"I don't know what you mean." I had an idea though.

"You're distant, you're distracted, and you've worn long sleeves for the past two days. In summer. You have a bruise on your face that you've managed to cover up well," Though not well enough for a Were's eyes, it seemed. "You've got this weird thing about vamps, though I don't blame you there," she said, glancing at the scarf around my neck, "and today you look like you're about to keel over at any minute."

She leaned over the desk, "So, I ask, what's going on?"

That little speech was unexpected and had me momentarily stunned. It dawned on me then why she didn't run with a pack.

"I've just had a lot to deal with the past few days." It wasn't a lie.

"Bullshit. That's a vampire bite on your neck. And you smelled different the last two days. Today you're closer to your normal smell."

Oh, why the hell not. "I'm part fairy," I informed her. Not like she could do anything with that piece of information.

Her eyebrows shot up at my revelation. "A fairy?" She asked, clearly stunned. "That would explain why you're squeamish around vampires."

Well…not exactly.

"And the clothes?" It really wasn't any of her business. I show up on time and do my job. But she reached her own conclusions.

"One attacked you," she surmised.

"Yes."

"The one here?"

I nodded.

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"I thought if I did, I would look biased against vampires. I'm not." It was half true.

"You have every right to be. A fairy and a vampire in the same space. That's just asking for trouble." She stood up straight. "I have to handle this," she said and walked away.

Huh. Well, that was unexpected. I hoped she would be surrounded by people however she "handled" it.

The end of another day had come. I took my check and grabbed my purse out of my locker. Thankfully I didn't have any extra doings for the convention which was on its third day.

I looked at my check – it was a nice little sum for a month, and tucked it away to cash tomorrow at the bank.

It was still bright out and would be for the next two and a half hours. I was expecting Niall sometime later tonight so Enki and I decided to hold off on the telepathy practice until tomorrow.

This gave me some much needed time to indulge in the sun. It also gave me time to think about last night.

I had killed Victor Madden. In a premeditated plan of attack, I had killed Louisiana's acting vampire regent. Oh Gran, what would you think of me now?

I had participated in an act of torture. As wrong as that was, I couldn't bring myself to feel guilty about Victor Madden. He was the reason for my own time with Thing One and Thing Two.

An eye for an eye makes everyone blind. And a fang for a fang makes a neutered vampire. Victor had done his level best to provoke Eric into a conflict. If anyone else had been appointed regent, this whole mess could very well have been avoided.

As much as he tried to squeeze out information about the fairies – and I couldn't imagine Breandan giving him much – it was his own arrogance about anyone that wasn't a vampire that really did him in.

By the time I got back to my apartment, the sun had just finished setting and the sky was a dusky purple. Clouds were rolling in and the news predicted more rain again for tonight.

I felt so much better after lying out in the sun. I couldn't help thinking about my relationship to the sky fairies now when I stayed out in the sunlight. In that other realm, it was like the sun filled me with energy – like it was a shot of adrenaline and red bull and coffee rolled into one. Obviously it wasn't the same here but I could feel the difference the sun gave me.

In a better mood, I quickly showered, scrubbing every inch of myself and washing my hair, dressed in a sleeveless t-shirt and shorts and made myself some dinner before Niall got here.

My clothes from last night had blood spatter on them. And like anything now that gets blood spatter, it has to get burned. There were two deep blood stains where I had placed Victor's fangs in my pocket. I washed them, placed them in a Ziploc baggie (for freshness!) and put them in one of my empty kitchen drawers – of which I had many – having only the bare minimum in kitchen supplies.

I put the stained shorts and shirt I wore yesterday in the sink, poured a little gin over them and lit a match. Watching the flames, I let some of the tension in my shoulders slip away.

This was the end of Victor Madden.

And if everything went well…the vampires of Nevada, Arkansas and Louisiana would be none the wiser as to how that came about.

I turned on the faucet as the flames ate up the last of the fabric. Just then, there was a knock at my door.

Niall.

Sure enough, there he was, effulgently dressed in a navy suit, stripped tie and white shirt.

Niall and I had much to discuss and after we made our pleasantries, we got down to business.

"I have spoken with Cluade." His voice held something in that did not sit quite right. Like he had a problem speaking to his grandson.

"How is Claude? What did he say?" My cousin was a little miffed at Niall for closing the fairy portals since now he couldn't pass freely between the realms.

"I understand he is well. He has been keeping an ear to the ground on issues of importance." I was a little surprised at his use of such an idiom. "The vampires are attempting to keep things quiet but some information still slips out."

For a race that had been so hell bent on shadowing their existence from humans for thousands of years, some of them are real gossips.

"What do they think happened to Victor?"

"It's unclear. Some are saying he is in New Orleans or Baton Rouge. Others are claiming he has disappeared with several in his retinue." Niall took a sip of the iced tea I put in front of him. He opened his mouth like he was going to say more but then abruptly closed it again.

"I guess it would be good for Felipe to create confusion. Keeps the sharks at bay." I considered how Claude might be getting his information on vampires when he'd get eaten if he stayed in the same room with them. Maxwell Lee still went in for his shaves at Hooligans as far I knew.

"That it would. Vampires are, in so many ways, like sharks," he said. "When they smell blood…"

"Or a power gap," I added.

"Yes," he confirmed. "They will swarm."

"So I've created a power vacuum?" That isn't good.

"De Castro is still holding power for now." The way he said "for now" gave me a bad feeling and left me cold. "Once word spreads of his regent's disappearance, there might be some…upheaval."

Oh, great. Upheaval.

"Does that mean it's not safe to go home?" I had been thinking a lot about going home since last night.

I wanted to go home and see my friends and family. I pray every day Jason doesn't get himself into any trouble. I wanted to visit Gran and leave her some fresh flowers. I missed Eric and Pam and wanted to see them both. I could hardly feel him anymore. It wasn't like severing a rope since it didn't happen fast. Instead it's been disintegrating gradually. I didn't know how I felt about that. On the one hand, I was happy not feeling Eric's anger or his rage. On the other, I didn't like not knowing if he was hurt. I couldn't know if he was okay anymore. It felt like the volume was being turned down on the buzz in my mind that was him.

But if I stayed gone, I couldn't be used again in vampire affairs. Maybe.

But I needed to see him. I wanted to. I had to. And it had been so long since we made love.

I had hoped with Victor gone things would be easier for us. Maybe do something normal that didn't involve body disposal. Then there was Victor's comment about following him. I still hadn't figured that one out. Clearly there was something Eric had neglected to mention.

"I do not know," he said and shook his head. "I can only inform you through what my own have told me. For now, De Castro is still King. Aside from that, I cannot say." He patted my shoulder before taking my hand. "Whatever happens, know you are not alone."

"That means a lot to me, Great-grandfather," I said and hugged him. Having a fairy prince in your corner was big deal.

"I also spoke to my accountants in America. Frena and Sibilina were able to go through everything in Victor's homes and find what they needed. The money will be dealt with quickly." Niall settled back into his chair and crossed his left ankle to his right knee. If superiority had a specific smell, it would smell like Niall right now.

Niall is particularly crafty with money.

"That's great. So the Nevada vamps…?"

"They will follow it."

Perfect. That would hopefully remove suspicion from other places. "If I do go back, how quickly could I reach you?" That came out far too needy.

"You can always call me or slip a letter through the portal." Ah yes, the fairy portal: mail slot and body disposal site. It was also über creepy.

"I'll remember that."

"Now tell me, child, are you surviving adequately here?"

"I'm not sure what you mean."

"This city seems to suit you well. You have spent much time in the sun; I can tell. And this apartment…there is something unique about it." I couldn't help feel that was the influence of the Cluviel Dor, tucked carefully away in a cloth bag in my suitcase, on the top shelf of my closet.

"It _is_ a nice apartment."

"Sookie, you should be aware that this isn't the only place you can reach me from." He paused and titled his head in thoughtful expression. "If you do not feel safe here or in Louisiana, I have the resources to make sure you can have your life anywhere you choose."

That was certainly food for thought. If I really did want to disappear some day, Niall could make that happen for me. Still, I couldn't take him up on it – not unless everything truly fell apart. I couldn't leave everyone for good. "That's a very generous offer Niall. I hope you will understand that I'll give it my consideration if things get out of hand?"

I wasn't sure what to expect out of his response. Maybe it was a test? He looked at me for a long while before he finally let out a deep sigh and nodded.

"And what about in other areas? I know you have decided to work while you are here." His face contorted into a pinched expression at the mention of the word "work." On anyone else, it would have looked downright mean. On Niall it seemed only to convey a small degree of distain. "Is that going well?"

'Yes, it is. I really like it." The first couple days working at the hotel, I realized it really wasn't that different from Merlotte's. Well, I didn't smell like food and beer when I got home, that was one difference. "It's different from day to day and I like that."

After some further, unnecessary talk about my own finances and some hugging, Niall left. There was still plenty left unsaid about Victor but there was little point in discussing it with him. I know who I needed to discuss it with.

* * *

**November 12****th**

By the next day the bruises on my face had started to fade minutely. Thankfully, I didn't need a gallon full of cover-up to convince anyone there wasn't anything there. Today, I'd only need a half gallon. It was still long sleeves and scarf wearing though. I felt like I was wearing a burka.

That was the downside to working around all these people who didn't know a thing about supes. Stay around them long enough and you're bound to get a few bruises here and there. And I was mighty indisposed to discussing how I came to have said bruising.

It had rained on and off throughout the night and continued into today. By the time I reached the hotel I felt like my face had melted off in the humidity and I was sweating everywhere. Once I got into the air conditioning, I thought I might freeze.

At work the convention was still surging forward on its fourth day. Only two more days to go. One convention goer decided he took quite the shine to me and followed me around for over an hour. It was a very long hour. His thoughts were odd and circular and he kept repeating his need to talk to me in his mind. Outwardly he seemed fine. He is a graduate student and was here presenting the findings of his thesis. He had shaggy auburn hair and light skin. He wasn't a sun worshiper. A stocky guy, with wide shoulders and a height that was just a little too short to fit well with his wide frame, he didn't seem understand that I had a job to do and he couldn't follow me. I managed to escape him in the staff area.

During lunch I practically skipped over to the bank to cash my first check. Having cash in hand is a wonderful feeling.

It was at lunch that I realized I couldn't feel Eric. Nothing. Nada. Zilch. Zero. Normally by this time, in Louisiana's time zone he would be awake. I had been so busy at the hotel dodging thesis boy that I didn't have a moment to myself. Did that mean the bond was broken?

I bit my lip, hard. What if the bond wasn't broken and something happened to him? I couldn't know without going back home. I started to panic. I fell into a chair in the hotel café. I could call. That was certainly a possibility. Maybe I was getting worked up over nothing. I could barely feel anything yesterday. I saw this coming. The bond was fading and now it was gone.

Still…maybe I should call.

Unfortunately, work left me no time for that. And I still had to doge my strange suitor.

Enki arrived promptly at six that afternoon; not long after I arrived. It was still raining. The sky had grown increasingly dark and there were big swells coming off the nearby water.

"You spoke with Niall about the arrangements?" He asked, while making himself comfortable on my couch. His long dark hair was pulled back in a low ponytail and he was dressed casually in black Bermuda cargo shorts and a blue and white striped Henley t-shirt that emphasized his very, very nice arms.

I had changed out of my work uniform and into a lightweight summer dress with spaghetti straps and v-neck, an ethnic print in green, navy and white, and a smocked empire waist.

"Yes, it's being taken care of." He had his two favorite fairy guards on the job.

I brought out some sweet tea for us before settling myself down next to him. "What did you block from me the other night?"

Enki's mind was a closed book to me most of the time. His shields were so strong that it was like he almost wasn't there at all. The only times we ever shared thoughts were when we were practicing or had the need to communicate silently. Normally, I was grateful for his silent mind.

Enki had honed his ability to read vampire minds. If a vampire ever found out about that, he would never be safe in the human world. When we were interrogating Victor we shared a link, since his abilities were so much stronger than mine. He was able to read Victor's mind and by proxy, I was able to access him through Enki. Except, there was something he was keeping from me.

He let out a heavy breath and put his hands on his knees. "You noticed that, did you? I'm sorry."

"You're sorry I noticed you were keeping something from me?" I felt my face tighten as I tried to digest this piece of information.

"No, not that. There were things…things coming from Victor's mind that no one should have seen." He bit his lip. "Victor had been involved in vampire politics for a long time. There were many things he did that were…unscrupulous, shall we say. Things he was imagining doing to you."

"But that's not all of it, I can tell. You didn't filter all of that out. There was more." He was still hiding things. "You were silent when he mentioned Oklahoma. What did Victor mean?"

Enki looked down at his lap and fiddled with the pocket button on his cargo shorts. "I don't really know if I'm the one who should be telling you about that. Victor only said it to instill doubt in whatever you have with the Viking."

"So you're choosing to keep me in the dark about what you know?" I let my shields down in an attempt to read him but his mind was shut tighter than a bank vault.

"I don't know much," he said, "honestly."

"What do you know?" I had stood up and started pacing the length of the living room.

"Only that Victor was thinking about the Queen of Oklahoma when he said that. The name Ocella also crossed his mind. Does that make sense to you?"

Ocella. Of course…he was involved with Victor? "Ocella was Eric's maker."

"Oh." He sat back again and slipped into a thoughtful silence. This was the first moment where I really wasn't grateful for his silent mind. "Maybe he was trying to convince his maker to take Eric away."

Could Victor pull that off? Appius, of course, could do whatever he wanted to Eric. If he wanted Eric to leave Louisiana, he would tell him so. Lorena did it to Bill. Was Appius planning to force Eric to leave?

"It's possible," I said finally, sinking into a chair. "But Ocella is dead. Eric doesn't have to listen to him anymore."

"Does Victor know that?" He asked.

"I don't know."

We both sat like that for a while, in uncomfortable, contemplative silence. Finally, Enki snapped me out of it.

"We should get to your practicing." That's what we did for the next three hours. We meditated and breathed and focused as I let my shields down and brought them back up. I listened to all my neighbors around me. I could hear that in the street, if I stretched myself, there was a small group of shifters milling around on a corner. It was too far to discern any thoughts or emotions but they were close enough that I could tell they were there.

There was one shifter couple in the apartment complex. If I had to wager, they shifted into some sort of bird of prey. Hawks, maybe. I was getting better at reading shifters and pushing through their natural shields. I also managed to push through one of Enki's own defensive walls. Progress!

As night fell, I closed my curtains. Normally I would leave the patio door open to bring in the breeze and the ocean air but with the rain, the floor would get soaked.

By the time he left my brain was exhausted. It was nearly ten when I hopped in the shower to scrub the long day away. After washing my hair and face, I slipped into an orchid colored night shirt with a pretty lace bodice. There was no point in attempting to call Eric now. It would be daytime there.

It was still early so I settled in for a little TV time with me, some ice cream and an episode of _Lost_.

At some point I had fallen asleep because the next think I heard wasn't Sawyer's southern wit but a faint tapping.

I sat up and listened again. There it was.

_Tap. Tap. Tap. _

I shut off the TV and got up. _Tap. _Pause. _Tap. _Pause. _Rap._ Pause. It sounded almost like a tree branch against my window but there were no tree branches near enough for that.

It was coming from the windows that overlooked my balcony. _Tap. Tap. _Again.

My eyes narrowed, remembering, of all things, "While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping." I laughed to myself at that absurdity.

Bringing my shields down I realized, there was a void on my balcony. Had Freckles found where I lived? Maybe he was seeking alternative lodging.

I would not be accommodating. Moving over to the curtained wall, I pulled it back from the left side.

I gasped. My hands automatically leapt up to cover my mouth.

Drenched in rain. Hair in dark rattails. Shirt plastered to his broad chest. Water dripped down his face and onto the ground.

Slowly my hand found its way to the doorknob and I pulled it open.

"Eric."

Looking me up and down, his eyes were shining like brilliant blue orbs against his pale skin. They settled on the two healing puncture wounds on my neck.

* * *

**A/N: Oh…no she did not!**

**So remember, if you want that teaser, review. I live off your reviews; they make me do a happy dance.**

**Oh and if anyone was wondering, statistically, I've got 199 people who alert this story and the last chapter saw 28 reviews. **

**That means that **

**14.5%**

**of my readers reviewed.**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: **Let me just say...WOW. You guys are freaking spectacular...and proof positive that visual statistics work! Chapter 16 was by far my most reviewed chapter with more than double the previous chapter. Keep it coming my darling readers. I love hearing from each and every one of you.

I have to give a special thanks to **Miral** for her overall awesomeness and agreement to beta this chapter for me so that it was extra-special nice for y'all. And if you haven't read her spectacularly funny fic "The Dead Man of Shreveport," hightail those fingertips over there and drop her a review.

I also want to take a moment to pimp **my new fic** "Better Off Dead" which you can find in my profile. It's currently a one shot so it won't be taking time away from this. Let's just say, Sookie wakes up and find's her life turned completely upside down.

Lastly, I must also pimp my wordpress blog **finiteanarhcy . wordpress . com** There you can find my stories and rambling about SVM or True Blood, a list of the cream of the crop fics and other odds and ends.

Disclaimer: Characters belong to Charlaine Harris. A few bits of dialogue were pilfered from DR. Not many.

* * *

**Chapter 17**

"'_Of course I need you. I go insane when I see you. You can do almost anything you wish with me. Is that what you want to hear? Almost, Dominique. And the things you couldn't make me do – you could put me through hell if you demanded them and I had to refuse you, as I would. Through utter hell. Dominique. Does that please you? Why do you want to know whether you own me? It's so simple. Of course you do. All of me that can be owned. You'll never demand anything else. But you want to know whether you could make me suffer. You could. What of it?' The words did not sound like surrender, because they were not torn out of him, but admitted simply and willingly."_

_- Ayn Rand,_ The Fountainhead

* * *

**November 12****th**** Continued…**

"Hello, Sookie." His voice was low and graveled and his eyes met mine before traveling up and down my body again, inspecting. They lingered for a moment on my distinctly different hair before continuing on. His lip twitched as they focused on something else.

I realized then that I couldn't feel him. Nothing. No hum in my mind, no burst of happiness from the bond, no anger, no sadness – nothing. The bond was gone. And in that moment I was grateful.

I looked down at myself to see what he was looking at. The bruises on my arms from Freckles' attack were on full display. I bit my lip and closed my arms around myself. Finally, he brought his eyes back up to mine.

Eric, of course, looked great. Even drenched as he is, he looks good. He was wearing a V neck t-shirt in a washed out black and dark jeans that clung to his every inch – or centimeter, as the case may be here. GQ missed a big opportunity. Maybe they could do a special vampire issue? As we stood there staring at each other, the seconds stretched, lost to our mutual round of eye fucking. Finally, I snapped myself back to the present. Looking at Eric, I saw his face was stony and the light from my living room cast only a faint glow on him.

"Are you mad at me?" I asked after a long moment of silence. I struggled to hold back any sniffles. I was forcing some steel into my backbone.

"I'm not angry," he said. "At least, not any more. At least, not until I saw _that._" His eyes moved down to my neck again. He reached out to touch the bite but stopped when he reached the magical barrier that prevented him from entering the apartment where I was still safely ensconced. He dropped his hand.

"I can't feel it," I told him. "Your anger."

He looked slightly disappointed. "The bond has dissolved," he stated simply. "It can happen in time if blood is not exchanged frequently. I had stopped feeling you. I thought, perhaps if we were together in proximity, it would reignite."

"But it hasn't." I was thankful for that, though I doubted he was. I was also curious how he found my apartment without the bond.

"No." He was about to say something more but thought better of it. "I suppose you are happy about that. I know you always hated our bond."

"I'm not unhappy about it. It was never something I wanted. But I did panic," I told him. "I did panic when I couldn't feel you anymore. I thought maybe something happened to you." He visibly lifted some at my last statement. Confirmation that I wasn't throwing my feelings for him out the window.

"You were attacked?" He asked, finally. He phrased it as a question but there was some uncertainty to it – as if he thought I'd found myself a new vampire honey.

"Yes," I said slowly, bringing my hand up, feeling the bite on my neck. "You sent a vampire after me?"

Eric stiffened. He hadn't anticipated I would know. "Yes."

"He found me," I told him, heaving a little half laugh. "I smelled too good for him to resist, apparently."

Eric's expression changed considerably. I didn't need the bond to tell me he was volcanically angry. "Conrad is an old vampire. He should have had control of himself. I instructed him not to approach you."

What good are instructions when you can't enforce them, I wanted to say. But I knew why Freckles – ahem, Conrad – lost control. Then it seemed, so did Eric.

"You smell different, Sookie. What have you done?" His fangs were protruding slightly.

"It's kind of a long story," I hedged.

"Did you think I came all the way here to work on my suntan?" He asked, cocking an eyebrow.

My mouth involuntarily grinned as I realized Eric couldn't be _that angry_ if he was still capable of cracking a joke. "No," I said, "that might be a little too hazardous, even for you."

I opened the door wider. This would be a good time to know if he could control himself too. Nicki said I smelled a little more like myself yesterday. I presumed that today, I smelled a little more human and a little less fairy. "Can you control yourself?"

Eric tensed visibly at my suggestion that he couldn't. "Of course." Maybe I hadn't voiced my concern in the best way. Then again, I didn't feel like getting drained.

The truth was, Eric could be thinking about holes in the ozone layer or ways to inflict the many deaths of Kenny on me and I didn't have a clue. I'd be safe in here until the morning, when I would have to go to work; where I would certainly be vulnerable – maybe not from vampires, at least during the day – but it had become a fixed point for me. And if Eric wanted to really do something horrible, he could easily find a way.

After a moment I stepped aside and said, "Please, come in."

He slipped out of his shoes, leaving them on the patio. They would be protected by the patio above mine. Tentatively he entered the living room and surveyed the space, sweeping his eyes over everything before settling them on me.

I watched him as he took it all in before I realized he was still sopping wet. "I'll get you a towel." I turned and sprinted for the linen closet before he could object.

So…Eric was here. I let out a breath. There have been a lot of surprises over the past few days. I thought that should be significant somehow. That my life has become so unpredictable. But all I could think about right then was that Eric was in my living room and getting my rug all wet.

I grabbed a towel from the second shelf and paused at the bathroom before grabbing my hairbrush too. Eric was always a very well groomed vampire.

"I'm sorry I don't have any True Bloods," I said, handing him the towel and the brush.

He picked up the brush and cocked an eyebrow at me before running the towel through his hair.

"I wouldn't expect you to," he said. "Not unless you were expecting vampire company," he added, suggestively.

"No." No vampire company for me. At least – not anticipated vampire company. Victor didn't count.

I went into the kitchen and grabbed my coffee grounds and a fresh filter. At this rate, it was going to be a long night.

Eric finished drying himself and followed me into the kitchen, not that he had far to walk. It was more like he had to turn around and take three steps.

I could feel him watching me as I prepared my coffee. Then suddenly he said, "You promised you would keep this open to my picture."

I whirled around to see him staring at the Fangtasia calendar with November's Maxwell Lee.

"And I kept my promise." Eric had agreed to give me a free calendar if I kept it open to his picture. "I had it open to your picture for exactly thirty-one days."

Eric snorted –an odd sound for any vampire, but especially odd for one that looked like he did. "Touché."

I let out a short laugh that was half way between nervous and dumbstruck. After a moment, he laughed too.

And just like that, the tension that was in the room a moment ago passed.

Then he was on me before I could register what was happening. My lower half was pressed up against the counter and Eric had himself pressed against my front, ensnaring the sides of my face with his large hands and pulling me to him. One of his hands moved around to grip the nape of my neck and the other moved around to my back and pulled me even closer.

I made a small gasping sound from the suddenness before my own arms wrapped around him and pulled him in as close as we could be without being inside each other.

His mouth grazed mine once, twice, and then attacked, devouring what he could like I was the most delicious feast he'd ever had. He moved to my ear, whispering, "You smell even more enticing than I remember. It's you and it's more He brought his lips downward, kissing my neck before bringing himself back up to my lips. It was passionate and fiery and he teased me with the tip of his tongue over and over in a way that was both infuriating and completely erotic. I reciprocated as the two of us become engaged in a silent duel of wills.

He smelled so good; sea air mixed with rain, the dry smell of vampire and that scent that was just purely Eric. Boy, did I miss it.

I don't think either one of us thought it could be like this. There was no bond, but the feelings were all there, on our faces, in our bodies.

Finally we pulled apart and he laid his forehead against mine. "I have wanted to do that for over a month, my wife."

I smiled. "I hope it was worth the wait." I knew it was for me.

"Oh, I have every intention of extracting further payment," he said, smirking.

That was when I noticed that at some point during our mutual groping exchange my whole front had gotten damp from Eric's clothing.

I looked down at my nightdress and then back up at him. I started laughing uncontrollably. "You got me all wet."

From the gleam in his eye and the cocky expression on his face I might as well have said "Take me right here, Viking!"

"My lover," he said leaning over to whisper in my ear. "It wouldn't be the first time and it certainly won't be the last," he purred, each word providing its own caress, making me feel it all the way down to my special place.

I cleared my throat. Okay then. Now that he had sufficiently gotten me all hot and bothered, it was time for a breather. Well, a breather for me. He didn't need one. "I should change," I said moving around him to go back into the living room.

He grabbed my wrist. "No," he said. "I like this. It looks very pretty on you." The nightdress was new. I had found it on sale.

I couldn't help the involuntary smile that crept across my face. Eric could talk the paint off walls.

We sat down on the sofa, facing each other, me with my legs tucked underneath me and Eric with one arm on the back of the sofa and the other on the armrest, taking up as much space as he could. He had the towel underneath him and made a motion to take off his still damp t-shirt so that it could dry but I was having none of that. There was no way we could have any kind of civilized conversation when all my concentration would be focused on not touching Eric.

We sat there, looking at each other for a while, not knowing which of us was supposed to speak first. Eric remained perfectly still in his position, not even batting an eyelash. I think he was doing it purposely to unnerve me. If he was, I'd have to concede it was working. I was fidgeting, smoothing out my nightdress and biting nervously down on my lip.

Finally, I cracked.

"How is it you're here?" My eyes met his. "Does Felipe know you're gone?" Eric had to swear fealty to Felipe as sheriff. If he abandoned his area who knows what Felipe might send after him.

"Felipe knows," he said, casually. "He believes me to be in Canada…hunting for Victor."

Eric was watching my very intently to gauge my reaction. My eyebrows shot up. "Canada?"

"Yes…it would appear that Victor, in his short time as regent had squandered much of the funds for the state and kept an undisclosed amount for himself." The work of Niall, I presumed. "And several days ago, he disappeared, along with several other vampires, sent from Nevada."

The fairies never told me which vampires they had disposed of. My curiosity got the better of me when I asked him which ones.

"Luis, Antonio, that irritating Russian Ana Lyudmila," Eric said. I remembered them from Vampire's Kiss. "A vampire named Pearl and a Japanese vampire that Victor had appointed his new second. All gone." He made a small poofing motion with his hand.

"Huh." That was a lot of vampires to just disappear. "Felipe can't be too happy about that." My happiness at all the "disappeared" vampires, on the other hand, was clearly evident.

"No, Felipe is very suspicious. He suspects Victor was made an offer by another monarch, and he took his most loyal minions and as much money as he could." Eric was studying me very carefully, like I was a puzzle and he was missing that important middle piece that connects all the rest. "Another theory is that Victor and his cohorts are dead."

"Is that your theory?" Eric always chose the most practical answers.

"Yes," Eric shrugged. "He had enough people in Louisiana to claim it if he wanted. Felipe doesn't have enough vampires in Nevada to send to take him down if he chose. However, it was hard to say which vampires would side with Victor in a takeover attempt. Many are scared of Felipe."

That was a lot of information in four sentences. None of it was really all that surprising though. Felipe was scary enough that, even with him based all the way in Nevada, Victor's vamps were afraid of betraying him. I glanced over to the kitchen drawer that was the new home to Victor's now unnecessary appendages.

"So you decided that you would pretend to look for Victor in Canada but instead came here?"

Eric smirked, "Why would I waste my time looking for a dead man?"

I didn't know if he meant dead as in vampire, dead as in if he's found he's going to be finally dead or dead as in I already know he's ash.

"That seems almost too easy," I said, after some contemplation. "You went looking alone?" Why would Felipe send a Sheriff he didn't even trust to look for a missing regent without support?

"Not initially. I was part of a contingent with three other sheriffs and several loaned trackers." Pam must be looking out for Area Five. "On the second night of his disappearance a number of things happened. There were claims that Victor was spotted as far north as Calgary in Alberta. However, Bill had requisitioned the aide of some human known for his computer skills…" Eric made a disgusted face. He didn't much care for computers. Or Bill. Or Bill's fondness for computers.

"Bill's back from Argentina?" I couldn't imagine he was too thrilled to find me gone either.

Eric's lips formed a tight line as he scrutinized my reaction. "Yes. May I continue?"

Ouch. "Sorry."

"As I was saying, Bill's human computer man managed to get into whatever Victor was looking at. They found several routes on various ships and other indicators for flights. They pointed all around the globe. At that point, we had to split up."

Huh. You had to hand it to Niall's craftiness. He was one fairy who took care of business.

"So he could be anywhere?" I didn't think I could hold out much longer.

"He could be. But I don't believe he is. Do you, Sookie?" Eric was eyeing me with a very calculated expression. Waiting.

"No, I don't believe he's anywhere," I said, while managing to keep a straight face. "I believe he's somewhere very specific." I got up and walked to the kitchen.

Eric followed me with his eyes. "And where might that be, my lover?"

I opened the kitchen drawer and grabbed the little baggy that was inside. Scrunching it in my hand, I sat back down, facing Eric and lifted my arm up to his eye level. Holding the baggie by the corner with two fingers, I said, "Here," and smiled.

Wary, he took his eyes off me to focus on what I was holding. A look of dumbfounded surprise hopped across his features as he took the baggie.

After several long moments I had to glance at the wall clock to see if time really was moving this slow or if I was imagining things. Eric carefully examined the two sharp fangs through the bag with his mouth slightly agape.

Finally, after I began to wonder if I should just turn _Lost_ back on, he looked up at me. "_You_ killed Victor?" The surprise in his voice made me want to hit him. Hard. With something blunt.

"Yes."

Before I knew it he was on me again, over me on the couch, pulling my face to his and engulfing me in another one of those masterful kisses I had so sorely missed these many, many days.

He leaned back. "You astonish me, lover."

Sometimes, I astonish myself. "Good to know," I said with a grin.

"How did you do it?" His face was full of excitement. Rightly so, his enemy – my enemy, was dead.

"With a really big stake," I said, curling my lips up.

Eric let out a long, vivacious laugh. "No wonder he was missing for days. How did you get him here?"

"Niall." I proceeded to explain the plans I made with Niall, how he used his fairy guards to kill Victor's vampires and set up several false trails while exposing some of the missing money and then…what the fairies did to him. "Niall has some accountants and…other individuals – he wasn't too clear on whom – in America still. They were the ones who made it look like Victor ran off with all that money and took his cronies with him."

I delayed telling him some of the other interesting things Victor said for now. While some of it was good, the questionably negative stuff might dampen the currently light atmosphere between us. And I didn't know whether to tell him about just how much money there was still left over. Would Eric give it to Felipe? Keep it for himself? It felt like dirty money – maybe even blood money, if I kept it for me. A good chunk of it had to be from vampire businesses across the state. Maybe I could open some type of shelter. They usually had services for trauma survivors. Something like where I donated Uncle Bartlett's money.

By the time I was done he looked triumphant, jovial and downright surprised. "You are far more devious than anyone gives you credit for," he said before kissing me again. "Pam is going to love this."

"It's hardly my most admirable quality." I blame it on hanging around too many vampires. Actually, I could only think of four people who would find that an admirable quality. Three of them are vampires.

Eric made a loud harrumphing noise. "I thought I smelled fairy here…and something else, fresher." He peered at me with a raised brow.

Ah, yes. Damn vampire super smelling. "That would be Enki."

"What is an Enki?"

"He's a half-elf. Niall introduced us." I briefly wondered if I should expose Elki's ability to Eric. A lot of people already know what he can do. At my silence, Eric's face grew darker. "He's like me," I told him quickly, before he could jump to the wrong conclusions.

"Another telepath?"

"Yes, and stronger. He's been helping me." I wasn't going to tell him about my insight into shifter, fae and the occasional vampire mind, for obvious reasons. There were simply too many variables there.

"You trust him? Can you read his mind?"

"We share some trust. His mind is blocked so there are plenty of things he can keep from me. You know he's been a telepath for four hundred years?" I asked, emphasizing the last part. "It's crazy but he's managed to learn how to control his mental shields to keep other's thoughts from intruding completely. He's been working on that with me."

Eric had moved back into a sitting position but he was still very close to me.

I debated on telling him Enki helped out with Victor's interrogation. It would lead to too many questions about what role he played.

Finally, Eric nodded. "I imagine how important that must be for you."

I don't think he could, but the sentiment was nice. "It is."

"I missed you," he said, cradling my cheek. "Everyday I did not know where you were I feared for you. That Victor or maybe Felipe found you and were keeping you somewhere. When I couldn't feel your emotions anymore I thought I would go mad. I knew you were alive but the distance was so great I could not tell if you were hurt or not."

"I missed you, too." Eric's sudden confession left me with a big conscious of guilty, guilty, guilty. I cast my eyes down. "Did you find my letter?"

"Yes. I knew you had left. But the possibility of some other vampire seeing you…word could have gotten back to Felipe." Eric's grim expression left no doubt where _that_ would lead. "I couldn't stand the not knowing…of you going somewhere unprotected."

"But they couldn't do anything…Felipe, I mean, because of our pledge, right?" I had a horrible sinking feeling coming on.

"Felipe would respect our marriage and you have his protection but he might have held you in Vegas. He would have attempted some negotiation for your services…and he would have held you over my head to make sure I would remain loyal." He didn't look to happy at the idea of someone having leverage over him.

"But that's part of why I left," I said, stroking his cheek. "Everything was done to avoid that very thing from happening…from me being used for my telepathy to having Felipe or Victor use me as some sort of leverage against you." Just the idea that I could be used as leverage… that I had been so many times in the past, that I'd been in danger just because I'm of value to Eric, angered me something fierce.

"And once you were here? What was to stop another vampire from just taking you? The bond is gone. You have no protection here." Eric was working himself into a state.

"Me. I stop them from it. I may not be as strong as a vampire, but you can bet that sweet ass of yours," that garnered me a smirk and a brow lift, "that I'm not without resources."

"No," he said. "You certainly are not. Not with a fairy prince in your corner."

"And another thing; I was perfectly safe here. I was attacked by one vampire, in the little over a month that I've been here, and the vampire that attacked me was the one _you_ sent."

Eric had nothing to say to that little revelation. I guess I had finally stunned him into silence; having the knowledge that out of all the dangers posed, it was his own vampire that attacked me. I think both our minds flitted to the accidental assassin that was Charles Twinning.

That wasn't making either of us feel any better and it was apparent as he sat back and put some space between us.

"Conrad will be punished for what he did," he stated. "I am sorry he attacked you." Anytime Eric apologized for something, it was a big deal.

Involuntarily, I smiled at him and took his hand. "You couldn't have known it would happen. If anything, I was the one dumb enough to drink something Niall gave me."

Eric's eyes narrowed. "What did he give you?"

Oh, this might not end well. "A potion. Enki was taking me somewhere to practice on supernaturals. Niall gave me something to drink that would make me smell more fairy to blend in." I should never have done it. Was it really that important to test myself on supes who hardly entered the human world? "He said it would wear off in a couple of days but Fre – Conrad got to me the next day."

I was wary. Eric had his sheriff face on and it was none too happy. "You needed to smell like a fairy," he said. He was trying to figure out why I would need to smell like one. "You went…somewhere, with someone you hardly knew, to a place full of supernatural beings. You are lucky being bitten for smelling like a fairy was the worst thing to happen to you." Yeah…Eric was furious. "That was deeply stupid, Sookie." I could see him attempting to control his rage. His hands were fisted and his jaw was clenched. "There was a brief time several days ago when I couldn't feel you. I thought something had happened. Pam thought I was being irrational. I had already started making preparations to leave when I felt the bond spark back to life, weaker."

"I'm sorry," I said with as much sincerity as I could. "I didn't know that would happen until it was done." What was I going to tell him? It seemed like a good idea at the time.

"Then Victor disappeared and my suspicions grew. Leaving to search for him was the opportunity I was waiting for to find you." He had started drawing small circles across my palm and it was doing all sorts of things to my insides. "I don't think I could have waited much longer, regardless."

I got what Eric was saying. He would have been risking a lot by abandoning his area for who knows how long. Eric liked taking risks but that was bordering almost on suicidal.

I moved over and straddled myself on him so I could look at him directly and brought my arms around his neck. He hadn't expected it and was a little shocked by the gesture. "That wouldn't have been very smart," I told him, before leaning my head on his shoulder.

"No." He had brought his arms around to my back. "I find that I don't always act my brightest when it comes to you."

_Love makes you do the wacky_, I thought, then laughed at myself. "It was good then, that you waited for the right moment."

Eric made a noise of agreement. "Why didn't you tell me what you were planning?"

"Because you wouldn't have let me go."

"We could have worked something out together."

"Like we did when you tricked me into the pledging?" I asked, raising my own eyebrow at him. "I don't recall us 'working together' on that one." Two can play at this game.

Eric let out a frustrated sigh. "That was for your protection."

"This was too. For you. And me." A vampire's notion of protection can be pretty drastic. When you're dealing with someone who wants you dead, maybe the only thing you can do is something drastic right back.

We sat like that for a few moments. A host of emotions seemed to flit across Eric's handsome face, almost too fast to recognize. Had I not known him for as long as I have, I wouldn't have noticed them at all. For the second time tonight, I was glad not to know what Eric was feeling – or thinking.

I, on the other hand was thinking about protection. I had been in a lot of dangerous situations the past few years. Some were my own doing, some were the type you just couldn't see coming. A fair few of them were because of Eric. And when it came down to it, I had to wonder if some situations might have been avoided all together with a little more information.

"Our protection," he said, bringing me out of my thoughts. "I realized, after I read your letter how often I leave you out of things. Pam and I had been working our own strategy against Victor. If I had told you, you wouldn't have left."

"There are a lot of things you don't tell me." I had come to expect sharing with a vampire wasn't something that happened overnight – ha! Overnight. But it still hurt a little when he didn't.

"You're right," he confirmed. "But give me some credit, Sookie. I've spent a thousand years keeping secrets. Sharing with a human all my daily concerns is not something I'm used to." Not surprising. "And there are things you keep secret as well, it seems."

Caught. Yep, there are. I glanced sheepishly at him and nodded.

"And we say we love each other."

"We say we do." I agreed. "But it seems like loving each other doesn't mean sharing as much as I thought it would." I touched his face and traced the line of his jaw. He was caressing my back. "The other day, when I was questioning Victor, he blind sighted me with information I wasn't prepared for."

Eric gave me an inquiring look.

"There's a ritual to break the blood bond?" I looked at him imploringly. I had a feeling there had to be something to counteract this piece of vampire magic. A vampire would never join themselves to a human without some sort of contingency.

Eric became very still and he stopped his ministrations on my back. "Yes," he said, "there is a ritual." For the first time in a long time, Eric looked both sad and vulnerable. It looked wrong and out of place on him.

"I should have offered you a solution to break it. I should have encouraged you. I was afraid that I would loose you if you did. Victor could have taken you and I wouldn't have known. You could have been attacked somewhere and left to die and I wouldn't be able to find you. Maybe you would have decided not to bother yourself with my troubles. I was afraid of not knowing if you were in danger."

"I wish you had told me. Coming from Victor, it was a hard blow. But," I let out a sigh, "I won't fault you for not telling me. I'm angry at you for not telling me. But I won't fault you for it." It's not like these bonds were made with the humans in mind. And getting a thousand year old vampire to share trade vampire secrets was big stuff. I could understand why he didn't tell me. Knowing if I was in danger was certainly a plus. Using it to keep me tied to him? Minus.

"Do you love me, Sookie? Our bond is gone. We keep a great many things from each other. You have nothing to hold you back from the truth."

I took a deep breath. That was a lot to say for Eric. "When the bond dissipated completely, I panicked, like I told you. I thought something happened to you. I didn't know what to do or if I should call Pam. By the time I had the chance to do anything, it was already day there. The thought of losing you hurts me." I took another breath. "Even with all the secrets, I still love you, all on my own."

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**A/N: Le sigh...so, did their reconciliation meet with your expectations? I want to know. **

**The night is still young...and it ain't over yet. **

**Remember to review. Because you guys are so awesomely awesome I'm going to tell you that reviews shot up to an unbelievable **

**27% **

**on the last chapter, from 14%. **

**So remember...Reviews = teasers. And maybe something citrus flavored. **


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: _The Wordpress: finiteanarchy . wordpress . com_** On here you'll find my stories, my ramblings on True Blood and my take on fanfic, themes and thoughts. Also, I post sneak peaks of the upcoming chapters.

To see Sookie's nightdress, there is a link in my profile and on my wordpress site.

I have a poll on profile and I'm curious to know what people's favorite types of fanfics are.

Thank you to all the people who have reviewed, alerted or faved this story. Knowing my readership means a lot to me.

Disclaimer: Characters belong to Charlaine Harris.

Oh, and last thing. I had been waiting ages to write Eric and Sookie's lines in the last chapter on the Fangtasia calender. In my head it was very funny. Same goes with the Ayn Rand quote. I had been waiting for that chapter to use it. I hope you all enjoyed it.

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_**Previously:**_

_"Do you love me, Sookie? Our bond is gone. We keep a great many things from each other. You have nothing to hold you back from the truth."_

_I took a deep breath. That was a lot to say for Eric. "When the bond dissipated completely, I panicked, like I told you. I thought something happened to you. I didn't know what to do or if I should call Pam. By the time I had the chance to do anything, it was already day there. The thought of losing you hurts me." I took another breath. "Even with all the secrets, I still love you, all on my own."_

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**Chapter 18**

"_Have you ever been in love? _

_Horrible, isn't it?_

_It makes you so vulnerable. It opens your chest and it opens up your heart and it means that someone can get inside you and mess you up."_

_- Neil Gaiman,_ The Kindly Ones

* * *

**November 12****th**** Continued Some More…**

This time I was prepared when he tightened his grip around my back and brought our chests to press together. His cool lips were on mine and they didn't let go. My hands found themselves woven into his hair. It had been so long since I felt him like this; felt his cool body against my warm one. Responding to his touch as his hands moved down to my hips, gripping them, bringing them forward even more to rest on top of his own growing arousal. He was in the same mood I was. His jeans were still damp and I wasn't helping them get dry any faster.

My hands moved down from his hair to his shoulders, rubbing them, touching them; his arms, gliding my hands up and down shoulders and arms that have seen a millennium of change and remained the same. He broke from our kiss and his eyes roamed my face. _What? Why was he stopping?_ I didn't know what he was looking for.

"You have freed us, you know," Eric said quietly. There was an air of solemnity in his voice. "In a way, I didn't believe was possible."

The corners of my mouth went up at his unexpected revelation. "It feels good, doesn't it?"

"You have no idea," he said huskily before flipping me over so that my back was on the couch and he hovered over me. And in the back of my mind, I realized, I probably didn't.

Eric began inching my nightdress up past my waist like he was unwrapping a present. Pulling it over my head, he tossed it across the room and I vaguely remembered later it landing across the TV. He drank me in, his eyes roaming up and down my body with nothing on but my panties. His fangs were down. It didn't bother me, not like the way it had when he was outside, when it looked more like an inspection. This was a different look. Hungry and…excited.

I must have looked the same because my own eyes were roaming up and down him as I reached up and pulled his t-shirt up over his chest. He pulled it off the rest of the way when I couldn't reach any father and I watched every muscle and tendon movement very carefully, remembering earlier times, memorizing this one. Then, almost instantaneously, Eric's pants had vanished and I felt my panties disappear.

"I have missed this," he said. His hands were on my breasts, encircling them, needing, rubbing my nipples. His mouth found mine again, where we danced for some time. His fangs were sharp and nicked my tongue giving Eric reason to moan even louder. Then he pulled away to look at me with his eyes narrowed. I could tell he was struggling to hold himself together. So was I.

"What?" I asked, confused.

"You taste different," he said with some apprehension. "More fairy."

My eyes widened and my mouth seemed to open of its own accord. "Niall," I said. "The potion."

"Fucking fairies," he grumbled.

"What does this mean?" I had been told the potion would only affect my smell. "Is it too much for you?"

"No…" he spoke, carefully. "You said the effects would wear off in a few days?"

I nodded. "Now I'm wondering how long 'a few days' is."

"You will have to be careful around other vampires." Then he lowered himself back down to me. I could do that. I'd been pretty good so far.

My hands found their way around to play with Eric's gorgeous butt, which he liked, immensely. I gave it an affectionate squeeze and his whole body seemed to rumble at the touch. I moved around, doing a little squeezing and pinching of my own and if the evidence digging into my thigh was any indication, he was enjoying it. I traced my hand up the lovely indented line in his back. He was sensitive there and it made him shiver.

His lips moved down from my mouth to my neck, kissing, licking, sucking, nipping. His hands hadn't stopped their ministrations to my breasts and that was fine by me. More than fine, actually. It was all frenzied in a way. He was kissing so fast like he wasn't sure when he'd get to do it again. He continued down, latching himself on to one of my nipples. One of his hands had made its way down to stroke me and was moving at an expedited rate. My brain registered that I was making my fair share of noises. Eric was too. I felt myself coming close to the edge. I could feel a tightening in my lower parts and it sent tiny shockwaves up and down every time he touched me. I reached down and grabbed him, stroking and squeezing as he groaned. I rubbed my thumb over his tip and he shuddered. Then, in the middle of his attentions he bit down. I cried out in both pleasure and pain as he drew blood from what felt like a much lower place.

"Ohmygod," I said, as my eyes found his. He was staring at me with his pale blue eyes and a very satisfied smirk on his face. I was floating – I don't know what I was floating on – but I was adrift and it felt amazing. I was lightheaded and not all together there. Had he taken too much? I didn't know.

He continued down in that frenzied way and soon his mouth switched places with his fingers, licking and sucking. He didn't have to do much work. I was already plenty turned on. So when he turned his face to nuzzle my left leg and take a long, deep sniff, I was very ready. He stopped long enough to make sure I was looking at him. His eyes never left mine as he bit again. My head fell back and I think I cried out his name.

My head felt like it was underwater. I was swimming and Eric was breathing into me. Well…not really. But then, my head wasn't working too well at the moment and he was kissing me and not breathing at the same time. I could taste myself on him and I think he got a kick out of that.

"My lover," he said, hoarsely, "My wife." He pushed himself in.

We both grunted at the force as he began moving and I followed suit, my hips meeting his and moving in a wonderful rhythm. Each thrust felt fantastically right; like home; like we'd never been apart. And for a moment I felt like everything I'd done had been worth it because now we didn't have to worry about Victor or what Felipe would do and just maybe there might be a little bit of peace.

I was vaguely aware of the couch moving from our mutual thrusting. It scraped across my hardwood floors banging into my end table. My lamp wobbled, fell and shattered on the floor.

"Shit," I said. Well, it wouldn't be the first time we broke something during sex.

Then, there was a banging coming from below – a broom maybe? Was being knocked against my floor from below.

Eric laughed – a big whooping laugh – and the look on his face, since he hadn't stopped thrusting, even with my momentary distraction, was enough to make me laugh too. Having neighbors as an unexpected third party to the sounds of our fun wasn't usual. Although come to think of it…

Eric's movements brought me back to what we were doing and he jerked hard inside me, touching me as deep as he could and I felt myself swaying on the edge again.

"Yes!" I screamed. "Go…faster." He began to pound faster and faster and he said something in another language I didn't understand. With the lamp light gone, the only light came from another, behind him and cast his face in shadows. He was glowing and his fangs glistened. He reached for my shoulder and bit one last time as he came.

I was having an out of body experience. I felt shaken, stirred, whirled and completely worn out. I hadn't felt this good since…well, since the last time we'd had sex, almost two months ago.

Eric collapsed on top of me and we laid there in silence together. It felt good having his weight on me again. Safe.

He licked the bite marks he made closed and I smiled in the dim light at the feel of his tongue on me. It was like magic. Eric and his magic tongue. I laughed into the darkness.

"What's so amusing, my lover?"

If I told him what I thought about his tongue that would just inflate his ego even more. So I settled for, "Nothing in particular…just, it's been a strange couple of days."

"You have been busy, it seems." His head was resting on my chest and one of his hands was circled around my waist. Eric's frame was far too large for my sofa and his legs dangled off the arm at his knees. "Having to keep my attention so focused elsewhere…I didn't see what you were planning."

I made a sound of agreement. My fingers moved through his blond hair slowly, detangling the sex hair. For a few minutes we talked about little things and I told him about some of the people I worked with in the hotel. He told me some of the things going on at Fangtasia and about a few new vampires than had come into the area. _This was nice_, I thought. _This was doable. _This, here – us. Simple. An idea popped into my head. It was an idea Eric would never go for and I had no right to ask him. I didn't even know if I could. It would cost too much…to both of us.

But then I was sidetracked by wholly different thought; Victor and by extension, Felipe couldn't have been his only distractions. He'd been dealing with them for over a year now and even during the beginning stages, when I hadn't seen him for months, he'd had good reasons for his distance. Also we weren't together then so he could have stayed as distant as he wanted. Getting him to actually stay away was always the problem back then. Now I get treated to the opposite. Sometimes irony is not my friend.

"Where were your attentions focused?" I asked, hoping for some information from the murky waters that was Eric's version of the truth.

"Victor had spies all over my area," he said. "I was being watched for any signs of weakness. Pam has…not been herself since Miriam died."

"You've always had spies in your area."

"Yes, of course. Normally, they have tried to stay hidden. Victor's spies made no attempt to even hide what they were doing; and they were everywhere. I didn't know if that was better or worse. And it wasn't as if I could ask them if they were spying for Victor or Felipe, or both."

I told him, "They were spying for Victor."

Eric seemed to be mulling that over. His blue eyes met mine. "He told you this," he asked in disbelief.

"Yes."

"He could have been lying."

"He wasn't."

"How do you know?"

This was going to be tricky. "The fairies that grabbed him…they had no need for information. My questioning was his only reprieve."

He continued to look at me with a puzzled expression. "There is something else you're not telling me."

"Does it matter…if what I'm telling you is right?" I could see that it mattered to him, even if he wouldn't admit it. "And there was something else he told me…something you never mentioned before."

Eric made a motion for me to continue.

"When he challenged my knowledge about breaking the blood bond he surmised that I wouldn't have a problem following you to Oklahoma." Eric's face grew very dark. "Why would I be following you to Oklahoma, Eric?"

Eric sat up slowly. "I did not intend for you to find out this way."

Uh-oh. "Find out what?" I've never expected Eric to tell me all his deepest, darkest secrets but nothing that was causing him to act like this could be good. And whatever it was, he'd been holding on to it long enough that even Victor knew about it. Which meant Pam knew even longer. This also meant that if it was really important, Pam would have said something to me, or convinced Eric to – unless he commanded her not to.

After several tense moments of silence where Eric seemed to be – I don't know…composing himself? Reciting Hamlet's soliloquy in his head? I got up. Despite the warm weather, the sudden tension was making me cold and I was naked as a jay bird. I grabbed my nightdress off the TV on my way to the bathroom.

What I saw in the bathroom came as something of a shock. I remember Eric biting me more than once – which was unusual for him. At some point during his attentions to my neck, he had healed Freckles' bite marks. In their place he'd left his own on my shoulder, on my breast and on my inner thigh. _He was marking me_, I thought. Was he? The bites were closed and they'd be gone by morning but we would still know about them. Was he trying to reclaim territory? Pee on my leg, maybe? My blood tasted different, he said. But he seemed fine after he nicked me while kissing. So why did it look like he was marking me?

_Enough of this._

I wiped myself off and pulled my now dry nightdress back on. I dragged a brush through my own sexed up hair and left in search of underwear.

While I was pulling on a fresh pair, I heard Eric behind me, "I didn't want to involve you in this," he said. I jumped. I had gotten used to the quiet here and even knowing Eric was here, I was too wrapped up in my own thoughts to remember he had a habit surprising me when I wasn't looking. "I have been trying to find a way out of this…arrangement for months." He had put his boxers back on. Red silk.

"Arrangement? With someone in Oklahoma? That involves you moving there? And supposedly me, following with you? Like a puppy?" What would possess him to want to move to Oklahoma? He likes being sheriff. He has Fangtasia and his loyal vampires…and me. Unless he wasn't being given a choice. And I was expected to go along for the ride.

Eric looked abashed – for the first time, ever. It was a strange expression on him. I never wanted to see it again. I waited.

"My maker, Appius Livius Ocella, was in the process of making a match for me when he died," Eric said. "He mentioned it to me during his stay, but I didn't realize the process had gone as far as it had when he died. I thought I could ignore it. That his death canceled it out."

I wanted to bring Appius back from the doubly-dead just so I could kill him.

Without the bond, I couldn't tell what Eric was feeling exactly, but I'd known him long enough to tell he was trying to hide his own resentment for what his maker did behind a stone mask.

"It isn't done much anymore. Makers used to find matches for their children. They would get a fee if it was an advantageous union. That is, if both parties brought something to the table the other lacked. The Queen of Oklahoma had plenty to offer that appealed to my maker."

My eyebrows shot up. The Queen of Oklahoma. I sat down on the bed. What did Eric have to offer the Queen? More importantly, as a Queen, she had a whole host of things I didn't to offer Eric.

If Appius had arranged all this that means Eric would have known since April. I understood Eric's penchant for secret keeping. Really, I did. But this wasn't any ordinary secret. It was a big, fat, elephant in the room kind of thing. And it affected us both big time. Did I have the right to be angry at him for keeping this from me? I'm pretty sure I did. It felt like the things I'd kept quiet about paled in comparison. And wasn't what I'd kept secret good for both of us? It led to Victor's death, with no traces. "You have to marry her?" I was surprised at the steadiness in my voice. "Even though you are already married?" Did vampires engage in polygamy? I certainly had no intention of engaging in that particular act.

"Maybe not," he said softly and sat down on the bed next to me. "I have been doing everything in my power to stop this. I have been pleading with Felipe but he doesn't answer. Ocella's death should cancel the arrangement but Oklahoma is eyeing Felipe's throne. He may want to placate her."

"He would do that?" I asked. After everything Eric and I had done for him?

"It's in his power," he said. "But its possible now he won't. Victor was the impediment. He had the ability to supersede Ocella's wishes and didn't. Felipe knows I am useful to the state. He knows I'm happy in Area five and of course, that we are already wed."

"Oh." That was all I could manage. I was angry at him for keeping something of this magnitude from me. But at the same time, I was too tired to put up much of an argument.

"Now that Victor is gone," Eric smiled at me, "it would be beneficial for Felipe to keep me in the state. I am the one of the oldest vampires in Louisiana. I make Felipe a lot of money and I have many loyal vampires and investments in there."

Not to mention the telepathic asset.

"It may well be too much a risk for him. He already has so few vampires to part with."

I was trying to muster up some feelings about this. My killing Victor had some unexpected repercussions neither Niall, nor myself could have imagined. "So, what you're staying is, Felipe will need you now that his regent is dead."

"Yes." His stone mask had slipped some and I could swear his face held the slightest glimmer of triumph. "This is good news, Sookie."

"I believe you." He hugged me close then and after a tense moment, I wrapped my own arms around him and sighed. "You might be able to placate Felipe even more."

Eric pulled back and gave me a curious expression. "How?"

"Victor revealed that Felipe didn't know about what he was doing to your businesses or the rest of Area five. The vampires – you know, like the ones we saw in Vampire's Kiss?" He nodded. "They were erring on Victor's side in the hopes that he would make a break with the state and claim it as his own."

"This is very good, Sookie."

We kissed again and it was wonderful. Since I met vampires, I realized there was plenty to learn from them – and Eric in particular, when it came to the kissing department. After an intense couple of minutes I pulled back and attempted to stifle a yawn. "Sorry," I said.

"I've kept you up too long," he said.

"Yeah…it was worth it though," I told him. "Will you stay with me?"

"Yes." He moved from where we were sitting and turned down the covers. We slipped in underneath at the same time. It had been a really long time since Eric and I had spent a full night together and I had missed it. I pulled up close to his chest and put my hand up against where his heart would be. He draped an arm over my waist.

As I was dosing off, I said, "This is nice. Us – like this, you know?" I wasn't sure if I made any sense, being half asleep. "Without any extra vampire stuff here. No one would try to kill us."

Eric, for his part, didn't say anything and if he'd had any reaction to what I'd said, without the bond, I didn't know. I drifted off to sleep.

The next thing I knew, Eric was extraditing himself from my bed in the dark. "What are you doing?"

He leaned over, "Dawn is coming soon. I must go." While I couldn't see his face well, his skin still glowed slightly and his eyes caught whatever light was still in the room.

"You can stay here," I said. "Just close the curtains good. They're light blocking."

If I was still paying attention, I might have been aware of Eric smiling in the darkness. I did feel him get back into bed a minute later, though.

* * *

**A/N: Remember:**

**Reviews = chapter sneak peak = me being really happy**

**I am especially happy when my reviews exceed 14% of my readership. **


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: Whoa.. I know. My first update on this in ages. The past 3 months have been...a little crazy. New apartment, new neighborhood, new Master's program, new fics, lots of reading. The creative juices weren't flowing on this chapter. This chapter ends the first arc of the story as we move on to bigger and better things in the future. I've been posting status updates on my wordpress account for people who might be curious about whats going on. It's all planned out. It has an ending. And I'm going to try to keep to no more than 30 chapters. (Definitely not more than 35, but we'll see we where we go). **

**So feel free to check the wordpress at any time for updates. finiteanarchy . wordpress . com**

**Charlaine Harris owns the characters **

_**Recap: Sookie's been in Australia for approximately 5 1/2 weeks. Victor is dead. Sookie's been working with a half-elf telepath named Enki. She's got a job at tourist reception in a hotel. Eric showed up the day before and they had a rather tense discussion followed by other good stuff. **_

* * *

_Chapter 19_

_"When we hold each other, in the darkness, it doesn't make the darkness go away. The bad things are still out there. The nightmares still walking. When we hold each other we feel not safe, but better. 'It's all right,' we whisper, 'I'm here, I love you.' And we lie: 'I'll never leave you.' For just a moment or two the darkness doesn't seem so bad."_

_-Neil Gaiman_

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November 13

"You can feel them all, can't you? Pressing down?" Enki asked.

"Yes. Like an endless stream of consciousness." It was after work and Enki and I were sitting on the beach practicing. The beach was in full swing, full of after work types looking to get what advantage they could from the longer days here.

It was still weird that it wasn't cold.

"Now bring the first shield up." That's what he called it – the first shield. It was the shield that required the least amount of energy to block people out. People whose thoughts were fleeting and moved quickly without clear words or pictures, they were blocked. Before I'd met Bill, I could barely manage even this. "Take a breath."

To anyone else, we'd look like a pair meditating. Sitting cross-legged, breathing deeply and facing the ocean. I took a breath.

"Now the second shield." This was something I'd struggled with before I'd met Enki. Loud broadcasters had always made their way through before. Enki was a good tutor.

The rain had finally passed and the beach was a noisy place. It seemed like everyone was out enjoying the sun again. Normally, a crowd like this would be a no-go for me but now the shields weren't taking as much effort as they used to. Still, it wasn't easy. I had a nice wakeup call this morning when my alarm woke me after getting about three hours of sleep. So that's what it'd be like if I had the typical all day job.

My brain hurt.

I had settled on not telling him about Eric for now. Despite the feeling of kinship I felt toward someone who seemed…like me, I wanted to be careful. Eric took a lot of precautions coming here. I didn't want to waste that. Niall found Enki. As far as I understood it, no one in the supernatural world does anything for free. And I figured I used up all my favors with Niall having him do all this for me.

By the time we'd finished, the sun was just setting. We were both walking toward my apartment when a thought occurred to me.

"Where are you staying? You know since you started helping me?" Could he be going back to that other realm every night? "I mean, there wasn't much notice about all this."

"Ah. Since Niall asked for my assistance, he has been gracious enough to provide me with a place downtown. Apparently he owns a number of apartment complexes through various management companies."

"Oh." Well, that was unexpected. But then Niall was wealthy completely beyond my imagination. "Well, that's good."

He just nodded. "When Niall sees something – or someone, that can be useful, his reputation suggests he does what he can to keep whatever it is…available and in good condition for future use."

I didn't know exactly what to make of that. Niall was supernatural and a prince. It sounded like he was just being logical.

"Has anyone ever tried to…coerce you into using your telepathy for them?"

We had reached my building. Enki's face had gone cold. "Yes. It's happened before," he said. "Reading certain supernaturals, it made me a commodity. One that certain individuals thought they could use like a milking cow."

"But you're here," I said, brightly. "Freely? So what happened to them?"

A smile twitched at the edge of his lips. "They died." Enki looked away, across the street. "They tried to force their will on me in one way or another. Other fae, vampires, shifters – they all tried their hardest to intimidate or threaten and if that didn't work, they'd hurt." His voice became a whisper. "But they learned the ultimate lesson."

"Which was what?"

"You fuck with a telepath and they stop telling the truth." Enki looked back at me as he said it.

It was so simple. "How could they think you'd still tell them the truth if they were threatening you?"

"I don't know. Arrogance, I guess. They thought they could get me to toe the line through intimidation but it doesn't work, not for people like us."

"You didn't tell them when their enemies were plotting against them."

"That's right." There was something almost scary about the way he'd said it. He had enjoyed watching them go down.

When I got back to my apartment, Eric was gone. The bed was made and the curtains open but he had left a towel on the floor of the bathroom, again. Really, was hanging a towel up so difficult after making a bed?

Tonight was a non-cooking night. I just didn't have it in me. So frozen pizza it was. As I was taking it out of the oven, Eric showed up on my patio.

"I think you're getting fond of that entrance." I was happy to see him. At work I wasn't sure what to expect when I came home; would he be there or not? It seemed strange to find Eric waiting for me to get home from work.

He looked out toward the dark water. "It's convenient." He turned back to me. "You weren't here when I woke. I thought…I don't know." Eric was carrying a medium sized black duffle bag with him, which he set on the floor near the patio door.

"Oh," I said. Right. "I should have left a note." I went over and wrapped my arms around him. He brought his arms up around me. "My schedule at the hotel varies some and I usually practice my shields with Enki right after."

We stood like that for a few moments. Until the breeze from the door blew in and I could smell something funny coming from Eric. I pulled back.

"There's blood on your shirt." And on mine now, consequently. Damn. I didn't notice it before with the dark t-shirt on but there were definitely dark stains on it.

"I had to deal with Conrad." Like he was angry teenager. Except that we both knew quite differently.

"Oh," I said, surprised. "You had to _deal_ deal with him?" I couldn't remember if I had bleach. I moved over to the sink and started digging underneath it.

"No," he said, slightly offended. "He disobeyed me and he hurt you. He needed to be punished."

I leaned back on my heels staring at him. "He's in your retinue." It wasn't my business to get into how he handed out punishments to vampires who disobeyed him. They were under his charge as long as they agreed to stay in Area five or work for Eric.

"Yes. And he was reminded so tonight." I guess it was too much to ever hope of a slap on the wrist for something in the vampire world. Or maybe this was the equivalent of a slap on the wrist?

_Later_, I told myself. It's not like it was intentional.

"Ah, ha!" I said, finding the bleach and my other stain remover. I pulled them out and stood up. My pizza would be cold if I didn't get a move on. "Take off your shirt."

Eric smirked. "Are you angling for sex so soon in the night?" He asked. "Not that I mind, of course." He slowly stripped off his shirt.

"Ha ha. Very funny. Though unless you're angling to have sex with someone passed out from hunger, you're going to have to wait," I told him. Not that I'd mind having sex with him right now. Even with him laughing at me for having a gurgling stomach. "I'll put it in to soak and get the blood out."

I took his shirt into the bathroom, along with my detergents, filled the sink with water and put his in. Then I stripped off mine and put it in too. I hoped mine wasn't a lost cause. It wasn't black. After I'd gotten a t-shirt, I resurfaced in the kitchen. As I changed I remembered last night. Eric took more blood than usual and he had bitten me more than once. I didn't quite know what to make of that. Was it the fairyness? Was he caught in the moment? I hadn't even registered it really when it was happening.

Eric was back out on the patio, taking on the phone, still sans shirt. Since he wasn't stopping, I figured he was leaving a message for someone. Everyone he'd be talking to in the States was dead to the world right now. Seeing Eric looking out toward the water though, it occurred to me; this was the first time since his curse that he didn't have anywhere to be at any given time in the night. He didn't have to be at Fangtasia or work on the books there. He didn't have to worry about Victor or anyone muscling into Area Five anymore or acting like the Area Sherriff. Though I suspected he was still worrying about Fangtasia and Area Five. He's left things to Pam before. I had Eric all to myself…the whole night.

I went and cut up my pizza, taking it out onto the patio.

"So," I said after about ten minutes of just the sounds of my chewing. "How are things at Fangtasia?"

Eric turned and looked at me like aliens had just implanted themselves in my brain. "Pam wants to start having ladies nights once a week."

"Makes sense. Lots of women. It would bring a lot of men too. Of course that's not self-serving in the least."

Eric's lips twitched. "No, not at all."

We sat in silence for a few more moments, enjoying each other's silence. It also occurred to me that for the first time in a while, Eric didn't have anyone asking him for things – or plotting ways to kill him. Still there was something I needed to ask him.

"Last night," I started, "when you drank from me – "

"I took too much?"

"No…no. It wasn't that." Geez this was uncomfortable. "You did take more than usual but it was, um…more about how many times you bit me." I took a breath. "When I looked at myself this morning, it looked like you were trying to mark me."

Eric didn't say anything for a while after he took the chair opposite from me. "Normally, I have control of myself when I drink from you. I said you would be fine with me even with the potion altering you. Clearly I was mistaken." It was a rare event if Eric ever admitted to making a mistake. A year ago, he did admit to one, he'd never look sorry about it. He'd look completely blank about it. He didn't look blank right now. "I won't drink from you again until I'm certain whatever Niall gave you has worn off."

I smiled and took his hand. "I think that would be for the best."

"Do you like it here?" He asked, suddenly.

"Um…it's a nice place. The people I've met are very friendly."

"And you feel safe here?"

"I do." For the most part. "No one's tried to break in or kidnap me. No one's been following me around." I wanted to add, 'except for Conrad," but that felt like poking a dead horse.

"When are you expected back in Shreveport?"

"I checked my messages when I rose. Pam is managing well. Felipe hasn't gotten any news about Victor from anyone else – and now we know he won't. Felipe doesn't want me gone much longer. He can't have it getting out that his regent is gone. The state would be ripe for the taking."

"So in other words, as soon as possible."

"Yes."

He moved faster than I could follow and was suddenly on me, pulling me up to him. It was so quick and unexpected I didn't even have time to move the chair out. The table got knocked over on its side. He pushed me up against the wall, grabbed me and brought me up to level. When he'd finished I was a little breathless.

"Um. Wow. In a hurry?"

"I want you," he said. "I can't get enough of you."

I looked at him. His eyes shown in the patio light like little blue diamonds. "I want you too." I brought my hand up to his cheek. "You're not going to Oklahoma."

"I won't." Then he brought his lips to mine.

I'd had sex outside before. It was always enjoyable. But I'd never had sex outside so near to other people. For the first time I had neighbors to think about and was just a little worried about being seen in such a compromising position. That was, of course, until I remembered I could flip the patio light off. Which I did.

Somewhere between round one and two we ended up back in my bed.

"What do you think of it here, so far?"

"It's quiet here." I don't think he meant the noise level. "But…that's not so bad." His hand drifted up my side.

"Mmm, it is nice. No one trying to kill us." I tried to look serious. He laughed. "Do you really think Felipe believes what Niall laid out?" I asked after a pleasant moment passed between us.

Eric brought me close to him. "It's hard to say. I don't see him in Shreveport so I can't judge his current state. When we speak on the phone it seems like he does." Eric looked out toward the moon peeking through the curtain. "The other sheriffs haven't noticed anything. They all believe Victor was capable of running off. With enough support from another monarch, he could have over taken Felipe and formed a new alliance with them."

"Well, at least it's a believable story."

"Yes, that was excellent thinking." Then he added, "I just wish you would have told me." Frustrated. Eric was definitely frustrated.

"You would have tried to stop me."

"Yes."

"That's why I didn't tell you." I sighed and leaned back, facing the ceiling.

"I know."

"So why are we still talking about this?"

Eric frowned. "Because before you left there were things I didn't have the chance to tell you." He said, irritated. "If I had, you wouldn't have gone. If I hadn't been so caught up in protecting my area from Victor and worrying about this…marriage my maker has arranged."

"What things," I asked, genuinely curious. Considering the amount of money I spent to get here, I thought I might cry if he said he was _this close_ to getting Victor out of the picture.

"There was a plan for Victor…but it's useless to explain that now. The other thing was…another summit."

"Another summit?" I mimicked back to him, skeptically. "Are you kidding?" The last summit I attended was attacked by the Fellowship of the sun and I had visions of charred humans and vampires in my head for days. And the smell…you don't forget it.

"No," he said, carefully. "There is another summit – smaller than the one in Rhodes and more informal for members of Amun or any with business with the Amun clan. Felipe will be there; Victor and myself as well, plus two other sheriffs, Pam and other's in their respective retinues. If our plan didn't work, or we were forced to stop, the last alternative would be at the summit."

"But Victor's dead now so there's no case to plead," I said, smiling widely. I may have had a slight hint of hysteria in my voice.

"Felipe wants you to attend the summit." From the look on Eric's face, he clearly didn't want me to go. "He has told me to tell you that your attendance is expected, especially after word of your efforts in Rhodes reached him."

"No." Definitely not. "No way. Absolutely not." I sat up. "I'm not going."

Eric sat up to. The sheet fell to our waists. Sitting up probably wasn't the best idea.

"I don't want you to go either but neither one of us has a choice in the matter. And you would be compensated well for it."

"Yeah," I scoffed. "Right. I don't think the money I had to wait months for really covered everything that happened at that summit." To be honest, the biggest concern over attending was not money.

Eric's eyes narrowed slightly. "It was already discussed. He's willing to pay half up front if you attend. He wants you to go purposely to scout for Fellowship spies."

I sighed and looked at Eric. The moonlight cast him shards of iridescent blue. The rest was darkness. If the Fellowship did try to attack the summit and I wasn't there, I don't know if I could deal with that guilt. And I bet that's what Felipe was counting on. Maybe Eric too.

"When is it?" I'm resigning myself to trouble. I know it.

"Next month. December seventh, eighth and ninth. It's shorter than the last one."

"Next month! That's one hell of a short notice, Eric." I was pissed.

Eric seemed nonplussed. "I would have told you sooner if you hadn't left."

"Whoa. Don't blame that on me, not when you knew about it well before October."

"It's only three days."

"A lot can happen in three days." I distinctly remember almost dying more than once in a three day period.

"This will be different. Security will be tighter and all the staff is supposed to be vetted by the location. De Castro wants you there as…extra security."

"Humph." Extra security my tanned behind. "He'll try to find a way to get me to Vegas."

"Probably." Eric shrugged. "But we are wed. He can't touch you. And as long as he still thinks we are bonded, he won't try."

"He wouldn't…try what Andre did, would he?" Andre, the vampire child of Sophie-Anne, thought it was a great idea to corner me a try to get me to drink is blood so he could keep tabs on me.

"I don't think so. As a king he wants you on his good side. Forcing you, in any way, would not incline you to him." Eric thought for a moment before he added, "he cannot touch you without my permission, as my wife in our custom. I have the right to file a charge against him if he did."

This all felt like I wasn't much more than a nice car to vampires. Borrow her as needed. But only with exclusive contractual rights. If damaged…too bad.

"We don't have to go," I said, looking down. "We could…you and I, we could stay here."

Silence. If you listened hard enough you might even hear the ocean.

Eric put his hand under my chin and lifted it up. "Do you want to stay here?"

Did I?

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**Remember to review**


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: Wow! I know it's been a while. I finished the first semester of my M.A. program. I thought it would never end and I would be sucked into my own form of hell where my life would just be reading horrendously dry textbooks and writing paper after paper. Forever. Every time I thought I was getting a leg up on my work or things were going well, something just came along to smack me in the face and say "Nope. Not today." **

**Anyway, Happy New Year! I really hope everyone has an excellent 2012. **

**Aside from all the work I've had to do, well this particular story has fallen off my radar a bit, though I am dedicated to finishing it. I feel the need to complete it, consider this is the longest work I've ever written and even though it's fanfiction fun I feel a certain sense of accomplishment at having written so much. I also don't want to leave people hanging who have taken the time to alert and comment on it. I really to appreciate all the thoughts and wonderful dialogue that has happened since I started posting this story. **

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Chapter 20

_"In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on."_

- Robert Frost

* * *

As soon as I said it, I regretted it. Eric would never abandon his area. As capable as Pam is, Eric wouldn't leave her indefinitely to take care of his businesses. He liked his job too much. And he swore an oath to Felipe.

Forever is a long time to be hunted.

And I knew that I couldn't stay hidden forever either. God knows what mess Jason had gotten himself into by now.

"What I want," I said and sighed, "is to not go to this summit." I pulled my chin from his hand and sat back. "If he tries to force me, that won't make me any more willing to work for him."

"He won't try to force you." Eric stood and faced the moonlight. It cast him in a silhouette until he turned. Half in the light, half out. Light and dark. "As my wife, the King expects you with me. He considers you mine and expects to use you as the asset of one of vampires in his kingdom."

I had only recently accustomed myself to being okay with Eric calling me his wife. I would never be accustomed to someone calling me an asset.

"And if I tell him no?" I asked.

"He would find a way to make you reconsider."

I didn't want to dwell on all the ways he could make me reconsider, especially if they involved hurting someone I cared about. There were other things I could use Felipe's good will for, if it came to that.

I had to think. Really think about it. If I did stay¸ I knew that as nice an image as it would be, Eric couldn't. And really, neither could I. I would always be looking over my shoulder waiting. Wondering when. Of course, Eric could take me back against my will. It would put a heavy crack in our relationship, one that never seemed to be perfectly solid. I knew the Eric I met two and a half years ago wouldn't have hesitated in forcing me back. I wasn't entirely sure what present day Eric would do. He would have a lot of explaining to do to Felipe.

Still, the choice I had to make was for me. And truthfully, I'd missed Bon Temps.

I fell asleep that night wondering what I'd missed in my little town these last few weeks. Eric and I spoke some more on the happenings in Shreveport. One thing I needed from Eric, maybe more than anything else was openness.

"I can't just wait and hope you'll tell me something that's going on with you," I said. "Thank God for Pam, otherwise I'd never know anything."

Eric's face formed a grim line. "Pam is more a friend to you than you know, Sookie," he said. "There are things I don't tell you, things I don't want you to worry about and things that could only put you in danger."

"Well, I can agree with some of that," I told him. "I know there are lots of vampire things I'm better off not knowing. But you need to let me think about what I want to worry about. We're supposed to be in a relationship, right? That means confiding in each other, even about the unpleasant stuff."

Eric sat back down on the bed. "I hate these conversations," he said.

My lips curled up involuntarily in the dark. "Me too."

"But," he said. "I think perhaps if I had not kept myself so far removed, we wouldn't be here now." I thought that might be the closest thing I would get to Eric admitting he'd start sharing information.

"How long do you think you can spare until you're wanted back?"

"Two more nights, at most," he said. "The flight is difficult to arrange. Though, assuming I have someone to travel with the coffin," at this he gave me a pointed look, "I could make better travel accommodations."

"Right," I said. "So let's make the most of the next two nights."

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**This chapter, well I thought a lot about where it needed to go and I decided this would finish the first arc of the story, which is why it's so short. I felt this was an organic place to end it, with the next chapter picking up on part II. **

**I also participated in the Sookie's Secret Santa Fic exchange here on . If you haven't checked out the stories over there, I really encourage everyone to do so. The story I wrote is available in my profile, entitled _"The Dead Don't Talk." _**

**Also I feel the need to lay on a little guilt because according to Eastern Standard Time, it's after midnight and officially my 27th birthday. So leave me some review love!**


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: First, thank you everyone who left me birthday wishes. :D I realized a few days late, that it's also the same week I joined the fanfiction SVM community a year ago. I can't believe it's already been a year. Time really does fly. It's been an interesting year, to say the least. **

******Has everyone read chapter 2 of Deadlocked yet? I'm excited. My thoughts on the subject are available on my blog finiteanarchy . wordpress . com**

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Chapter 21

"_I am Jack's complete lack of surprise."_

_- Chuck Palahnuik_

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**November 14th**

And we so did. The idea of leaving Nikki, my Were boss at the hotel, who had also come to be a nice friend, short-noticed and short-staffed bothered me. I had made a commitment, one that I now had to break.

Needless to say, when I told her that I decided to fly back to America, she wasn't pleased.

"Personal issues?" She questioned. She was really thinking that I didn't start acting odd until that vampire guest showed up a couple of days ago. Even though I'd only been working there around a month, she considered me reliable. I showed up on time, frequently early and always got my work done quickly. She liked to think her first impressions of people were usually right and I didn't feel I could say they were.

"You wouldn't be the first, I suppose." Her brain, while harder to read, still gave off some thoughts that I could catch. No one expected the young holiday visa workers to stay very long. Though usually they finished out their contracts.

"Do you need me to help search for someone to fill my position?"

Nikki looked startled, as if she couldn't believe I'd ask such a question. "You want to do that?"

"It's the least I could do," I said. And probably the only thing I could do to help, really. Nikki had been nothing but nice to me since we met. Though two days wouldn't be much time, I could at least look through applications, put some notices online and see if there are any bites. In between the regular work during that day, searching for a replacement was exactly what I did.

By the end of the day I was dog tired and in desperate need of a fourth cup of coffee. Eric and I had plans for after he woke.

Enki presented another problem. The telepathic half-elf Niall found had been wonderful and in the short time I've come to know him, he's been both a friend and confidant. I didn't want to lose that when I left. We met after I got off work.

"This is what you want to do?" He asked, when I told him of my decision.

"I miss my home and my life in Bon Temps," I said. We were walking along the beach, the sun behind us in its descent. I still couldn't quite get over the flip-flop in seasons in this part of the world; with it came longer days in what I thought of as the winter months. There were at least three more hours until full dark.

"This place was never met to be permanent," he said. "That was always clear to see." He watched as two toddlers led their mother on a chase around the beach, a bottle of sun block clutched in one hand. "Have you accomplished all you needed to?"

Victor was dead. I got to see Niall again. I'd proven to myself that I could survive somewhere else if I needed to. And I had the unexpected bonus of making a new friend or two. "I think so." I even managed to make my shields stronger. All in all, things were looking up.

"Will you go back to working in your friend's bar?" He asked.

"Probably," I said, without thinking about it. I enjoyed working for Sam. And I had proved to myself I could be comfortable working in other places if I wanted, if the atmosphere was right.

"You've been a big help, you know," I said to him. "With everything you've done."

Enki gave me a small smile and I got a brief flash of something else. The other side of him; the one that was less human. Enki could pass very well for human and he didn't look like the other elf I had seen in Mississippi but I realized also that looking human was only a part of him, one that he was able to sustain through whatever magic he possessed. "I am glad I took Niall's offer to come here," he said.

We walked for a while in silence. "Will you…what will you do now?" I asked. "I suppose you have your own life to get back to? I won't ask you to follow me to Bon Temps."

"I haven't decided yet. The portals in America are still closed as far as I know, though there are other means of getting around." He fished out a small card from his pocket. "If you need something," he said. The small white card held only a phone number.

"I'll hold on to it," I said.

When I got back to the apartment I had to make a decision, pack or nap. While packing would have been more prudent, napping was much more satisfying and I am tired. It was always strange though, entering such a dark room after being in the natural light. It took a minute for my eyes to adjust. Eric was there, on his side, still dead for another two hours or so. I didn't take it for granted that Eric trusted me enough to share a bed while he was at his most vulnerable but it still gave me the hee-bee jeebies to see him so…lifeless. I was working on that. I took off my slacks and light jacket, leaving just the singlet top and lay down next to him, pulling the sheet up over me.

I woke to a hand moving up and down on my thigh. "Hey," I said. "What time is it?"

"Just after eight," Eric said.

A light switched on from Eric's side of the bed and I shielded my eyes from the sudden brightness. I was groggy. One of the problems with napping during the day was I always felt groggy when I woke. It threw my body off. Eating usually fixed it.

Eric got up to use the shower while I dressed. Looking in the fridge there were some things I'd have to throw away if we were leaving the day after tomorrow. I sighed. I didn't like the idea of wasting food. Well, I'd use as much of it as I could and started cutting up some tomatoes.

Eric and I had talked last night about some of the things I'd been doing here since I arrived and a few things I wanted to do. I was looking at these next two nights as a gift, something separate from everything else with no one around to intrude. In the back of my mind I knew it was the calm before the storm and plenty was waiting for us back home. But right now, I was in my happy place.

I heard Eric on the phone in the bedroom. With the time zones, it was like vampire phone tag. I figured everything had to be alright though, otherwise he wouldn't have said he could spare two more nights.

The next two nights we filled with whatever we wanted to do. It was nice and for the first time I felt super coupley. Spending the night with your honeybun was supposed to be like this, I figured – at least, every once in a while. We went to the opera house and around the harbor bridge. We'd also gone into an art museum and Eric made dirty jokes – literally, dirty jokes – about British people and hygiene in the 16th century.

But all too soon it was over and Eric and I found ourselves packing up the things that I'd bought. There wasn't much, but I still didn't want to leave anything behind if I could avoid it.

Anubis was a domestic airline but they did have sister companies they worked with who took great care in transporting vampires while they were inside their coffins. We were flying one of these airlines. The plane was large, the front half full of human passengers while the rear filled with shelving to secure any vampire travelers. The door to the rear of the plane looked sturdy with a heavy lock in place.

Due to the flight patterns and the switch to Anubis after landing in LAX (I wasn't going to pay the high charges of using vampire friendly air transport), it took over a full day's travel to land in Shreveport, with stops in Los Angeles and Memphis before finally reaching Shreveport. Anubis would shuttle Eric and his coffin to his house, while I called Sam to pick me up.

He wrapped me a big hug when he saw me. "How are you, Cher?"

"I'm good, Sam. Really good," I said and couldn't keep the smile off my face seeing his familiar face again.

He helped haul my luggage to his truck. "I've been real worried about you, Sookie. I expect a full explanation," he said.

I let out a breath. "You'll get one," I said. After I'd slept in a bed for at least eight hours. "You spoke to Jason?"

"Yep. He figures he'll see you around the bar." I picked up enough from Sam's clouded thoughts to hear that Jason hadn't realized I was gone until two weeks past.

I wasn't going to think about the what if it had been me kidnapped by a jealous werepather.

"So I guess I still have a job then?" I asked.

"I can't say I'm not pissed at your for leaving. But I couldn't ever fire you, Sookie."

I smiled at that. "I'd understand if you did," I said.

"What would you do if I did?"

I thought about that for a minute. "I'm not sure. Try to find another job, of course," I said. "I might look into some online classes."

Sam nodded. "You have a financial investment in the bar now, so I wouldn't expect it'd be that easy to get rid of you."

Yet people still keep trying. We continued the drive toward Bon Temps, talking about small things happening around town. The protesting around Merlotte's had stopped for the most part. Business had picked back up some. Most of the town suspected vampires had something to do with why I was away for so long. Not untrue.

"By the way, there's been a new vampire in town the past few days. Bill's been keeping an eye on her."

My head shot up and I looked at him. The last "new" vampire in town had been Jonathan, a scout for Felipe De Castro before the takeover. New vamps in Area Five didn't regularly hang around Bon Temps.

"The vampire say where she's from?"

"I caught a glimpse of a license when she paid for a bottle of blood but not enough to see what state."

"What about Bill?"

"Bill's been coming into the bar more since the vamp showed up. They talk. She hasn't said much about what.

"Does Pam know?" I asked. "If she doesn't then Pam could send some of the Area five vamps to pick her up."

"Shouldn't you be asking if Eric knows?" Sam asked as he glanced from the road to me and back. "But you already knew he wasn't here." The way he'd said it told me he wasn't at all happy about it.

Eric supposedly was looking for Victor on Felipe's orders, though those orders were being kept quiet. According to Eric, if anyone asked, Pam was to inform them he was on an assignment for the King and leave it at that. "I'm asking if Pam knows," I said.

"I think so," Sam said. "If I wasn't so sure Bill had told her as soon as he saw a strange vamp in the area, I'd call up Fangtasia myself."

We were rounding the sign welcoming us to Bon Temps. "I'm sure Bill will tell me something about her." Well, he'd at least tell me if he suspected she was a danger. "Any other things I should know about?"

"Jannalynn and I are getting pretty serious," he said.

Not exactly what I meant but, okay. "That's great, Sam." I didn't really like Jannalynn much. I knew that Sam would always come second to Alcide and her pack. I also worried about her impulse control. But I didn't think I had a leg to stand on when it came to other people's significant others. "Everything good with her?"

"The pack's been having a few issues," he said, turning on to Hummingbird Road. "She's been tight-lipped about it but whatever it is, it isn't a little problem."

"I'm surprised she hasn't told you."

"It's pack business," he said. He made the turn for my house.

"I know but…" I stopped mid-sentence, too distracted by the numerous cars in my front drive.

"What the hell?" Sam pulled around back. Thankfully there was still a place to park, but it was tight. Claude's new impala was there too. His car insurance covered the damage the fire did to his old car.

"I asked Claude to keep an eye on the place, make sure no one tried to break in. I didn't tell him to plan a sleepover," I said, half to myself and half to Sam.

"I've got a shotgun in back," Sam said. A shotgun might have been overkill but I wasn't going to say no to being armed.

There were maybe a dozen minds in the house. None of them were human. I closed my eyes, searching for Claude. "Claude's there, in the living room." I've been around him long enough to recognize his signature, even if I couldn't read him, his mind was familiar to me. I searched for Dermot. "Dermot is upstairs, in the attic. He's alone." What were the others? "Some are other fairies. There's at least one elf. I can't tell what the others are." More importantly, what the hell were they all doing in my house?

We got out of Sam's truck quietly and Sam took the shotgun out of the truck bed, switching the safety off.

"Hold on a second," I whispered. He could hear it, even though we were a car's width apart. Moving toward the shed in the back, I pulled my keys out, cupping them in my hand so they wouldn't make any noise. I pulled up the key for the gardening shed and unlocked it. It made a small creaking sound and I looked back to the house for a moment. No one was in the kitchen, so they wouldn't see us.

Actually, Dermot might. I looked up, but the sun was harsh and the glare on the glass was too strong to see anything. Couldn't worry about that now.

Once the shed door was open, I grabbed my grandmother's old iron trowel. Maybe I should start wearing it around my neck. Sam gave me a curious expression.

"Iron?" He asked.

"Iron," I said. I had hope that if Claude and Dermot were there these were not unfriendly Fae. But…safety first.

Moving as silently as we could, we made it to the back door. I pulled on the screen door and it wasn't locked. My hand moved to the knob on the door. Slowly, I moved it but this one was locked. I kept my keys in my hand so they wouldn't jangle and pulled the backdoor key out and slowly slid it into the key hole.

Then I had a thought. Why was I trying to be so quiet? They'd probably heard Sam's truck come up on the gravel. Damn. I looked at Sam.

"I'll go in first," he whispered.

I nodded. Sam did have the gun. And…shapeshifter.

I turned the key fast and pushed the door open. Sam stepped in front of me with the gun.

With the trowel gripped in my right hand, I was right behind him.

We moved, quickly and coordinated toward the living room. I guess Sam's army training was kicking in. I could hear raised voices.

At the edge of the hallway, Sam cocked his shotgun and stepped into the living room. I stepped in behind him.

Everyone stopped talking when we appeared. "Would someone please tell me what the hell you're all doing in _my_ house?"

* * *

**Oh those fairies! What might they be doing there? **


End file.
